


















Class ?A / i 5 5 4 * 

Bonk ■ S 6 j_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 















The Sunday School Times Prize Contest Articles 


Preparing and Teaching 

the Lesson 


THE TWO PRIZE WINNERS! 

“How I Prepare My Lesson for Teaching” 

By MRS. G. A. STEAD 

“How I Teach the Lesson in Class” 

By MISS N. GRACE COOLEDGE 

TOGETHER WITH SELECTIONS FROM TWENTY-ONE OTHER ARTICLES 
OFFERED IN THE COMPETITION 



PHILADELPHIA 

THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TIMES COMPANY 




Copyright, 1922, 1923, by 
The Sunday School Times Company 



PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OE AMERICA 


nrc 28 ’23 

Cl A 7 6 5 4 01 


FOREWORD 

Many a prize is a surprise to the winner! 
Many a really expert Sunday-school worker 
doesn’t know he is an expert, and has no idea how 
useful his methods would be to others until the 
story of that work is somehow brought to light. 

When The Sunday School Times offered a prize 
of $25.00 for the best article on “How I Prepare 
My Lesson for Teaching,” and another for the 
best article on “How I Teach the Lesson in 
Class,” the offer evidently set folks thinking. 
One hundred and twenty-six manuscripts from 
thirty-two states and four Canadian provinces 
were submitted on the first theme, and sixty-five 
from twenty-four states and four provinces on 
the second. 

In this little volume—but big in suggestive, 
usable plans—are the two prize-winning articles, 
and choice selections from twenty-one others 
among the competing articles. 

Everything here is the outcome of actual ex¬ 
perience in teaching the various ages in the Sun¬ 
day-school, and represents the best work now to 
be found in the field of lesson-preparation and 
lesson-teaching. The writers of the articles in¬ 
clude four pastors, eight housewives, a book¬ 
keeper, a salesman, a real estate dealer, an evan- 



6 


Foreword 


gelist, two Y. W. and Y. M. C. A. workers, sev¬ 
eral school teachers, a school principal, a house 
servant, and a secretary—living in rural com¬ 
munities, villages, and cities large and small. The 
shortest term of Sunday-school work among them 
is seven years, the longest fifty years. Fifteen 
of the twenty-three have seen twenty or more 
years of Sunday-school service. 

If these twenty-three workers have averaged 
forty-five Sundays a year, spending three hours 
a week on the lesson in school and out, each would 
have given each year an amount of time equal to 
seventeen business days of eight hours; and the 
twenty-three represent a total of no less than five 
hundred and eighty-five years of Sunday-school 
service; that is, they have devoted almost ten 
thousand full business days to the work! An 
experienced group, indeed! 

Their experience is yours for prayerful study 
and application, as here set forth. 

Other books or booklets in the Prize Series 
are: 

“How We Won and Held a Large Attendance” 
(25 cents). 

“Conventions—And What Our School Gained 
from Them” (25 cents). 

The choicest selections from two hundred and 
forty competing manuscripts make up this invalu¬ 
able series. 


CONTENTS 


PART I 

Preparing the Lessor 

I. How I Prepare My Lesson for Teaching. 9 

By Mrs. G. A. Stead, Owatonna, Minn. 

II. Getting Action Into the Lesson Period. 17 

By Mary E. Bemis, Northboro, Mass. 

III. Making Your Own Bible Commentary. 24 

By H. Ellis Lininger, Wisner, Neb. 

IV. Day-by-Day Preparation . 26 

By Leslie E. Dunkin, West Lafayette, Ind. 

V. How a Busy Mother Manages. 31 

By Mrs. Ernest Planck, Mobile, Ala. 

VI. How a Busy Business Man Manages. 38 

By N. E. Carnine, Fresno, Calif. 

VII. Gaining by Early Preparation. 43 

By Lucy C. Stone, Alhambra, Calif. 

VIII. A Leaf From a Teacher's Note Book. 47 

By Mrs. Eric Lewis, Cayuga, Ont., Can. 

IX. Until the Lesson Gets the Teacher. 54 

By Mrs. J. M. Roberts, Bethlehem, Pa. 

X. Securing Class Preparation. 57 

By Ruth Clark, Macon, Ga. 

XI. In the Quiet of Early Morning. 61 

By Mattie H. Leake, Maryville, Tenn. 

XII. Knowing More Than May Be Needed.66 

By A. Louise Ebersbach, Pomeroy, Ohio. 














1 


Contents 


XIII. Bodily Fitness for the Work .72 

By Lewis Keast, Laurium, Mich. 

XIV. Living With the Lesson All the Week .74 

By Mrs. F. N. Coward, Truro, N. S., Can. 

XV. Looking Ahead and Around .80 

By William J. Hart, D.D., Sandy Creek, N. Y. 

XYI. Teaching as a Life-and-Death Matter .83 

By T. T. Martin, Blue Mountain, Miss. > 

XVII. Using a Home-Made Scripture Index .87 

By the Rev. J. S. Robinson, Columbus, Ga. 

XVIII. Using Lesson Helps Last . 94 

By F. C. Blair, Ottawa, Ont., Can. 


PART II 

Teaching the Lesson 

I. How I Teach the Lesson in Class . 99 

By N. Grace Cooledge, Greenfield, Mass. 

II. Giving Prayer First Place .105 

By Mrs. F. W. Stone, Vancouver, Wash. 

III. Using Salesmanship in Teaching .113 

By Brookes B. Tarlton, Montreal, P. Q., Can. 

IV. Developing Class Responsibility .118 

By Rebecca S. Amidon, Lakewood, Ohio. 


V. Using Question, Topical and Lecture Methods. 124 
By Alice M. Williams Linsley, Whittier, Calif. 

Note: This table of contents indicates the many aspects of 
preparation and teaching that are here taken up, and each article 
should be suggestive and helpful to every teacher. But it will 
also be noted that the material is arranged in a logical, graded 
order, and teachers of each age group will find special articles 
taking up the problems of that group. After the prize winners, 
the articles follow in order according to age of pupils taught, 
beginning with the youngest. In Part I, Article 2 is by a teacher 
of small boys; Articles 3 to 5 by teachers of boys and girls 
below or just entering the ’teen age; then follow teachers of 
classes in high school and college, and young people and adults. 
The same order is followed in Part II. 












PART I 


I 


HOW I PREPARE MY LESSON FOR 

TEACHING 

By Mes. G. A. Stead 

This article won The Sunday School Times prize of $25 in gold 

My experience has been: for three years teacher 
of about a dozen boys in the “teen” age, and for 
three years teacher of a ‘‘mixed’’ Bible class of 
adnlts. 

On Monday no work in the advance lesson is 
done. The day is used as a day of rest as far 
as Bible study is concerned. A day of rest and 
meditation upon the lesson taught the day before. 
I think the lesson over as a whole, noting the 
points actually covered and their apparent effect 
upon the class—by the interest shown and the 
thoughts advanced by the members of the class. 
I seek to see wherein the presentation of the les¬ 
son was weak, and ask forgiveness for whatever 
mistakes I made as teacher and for guidance in 
the preparation of the next lesson. 


10 


Preparing the Lesson 


Tuesday I begin the study of the Scripture of 
the next lesson, reading the text and relative 
Scriptnres and references carefully; and pick up 
the threads of connection between it and the pre¬ 
ceding lesson. 

By Wednesday I begin a general study as time 
permits me. First I get the geographical and 
historical settings. For this, in addition to the 
Scripture itself, I use Bible dictionaries and his¬ 
tories that I have confidence in as written by men 
who accept the Bible as God’s inerrant word. 
I also find the Rand-McNally Bible Atlas almost 
indispensable. 

As I study the historical setting and the inci¬ 
dents related in the text, I try to visualize the 
scenes. This prepares me to make a vivid picture 
at the lesson period. Older people as well as 
young like the mental lesson picture. 

I find my class interested in localities, especially 
in comparing the ancient Bible names and places 
with those of other times or the present; for ex¬ 
ample: that the Shinar of the Bible is the same 
as Chaldea or Babylonia; that the Paphos of Acts 
was the capital city of Cyprus and was the home 
of the Roman proconsul, that it contained a 
famous shrine of the goddess Venus, that the town 
is still in existence, and how naturally by substi¬ 
tuting “B” for “P,” “f” for “ph” and 
dropping the silent “s,” the name became the 


Iiow I Prepare My Lesson for Teaching 11 

“Baffa” of today; that the “Puteoli” where 
Paul landed on his way to Home is the 
“Pozzuoli” of today near the city of Naples, and 
the Appii fornm, or the market of Appius, was 
on the world renowned Appian Way—the Queen 
of Roads leading into Rome, built over 300 years 
B. C., and still in a good state of preservation, 
and that doubtless by this road Paul entered into 
the city. Scholars and travelers are acquainted 
with such facts, but the rank and file are not, and 
I know of nothing that makes the Bible more real. 

We have a map—not a complete spick-and-span 
bought map, but one made on plain white muslin 
with colored crayon by one of our own members. 
It contains only the most important places men¬ 
tioned—at least that was what it contained to 
begin with. We put in more places as we studied, 
but only a few of them. Other places we located 
relatively with the pointer so that the map does 
not become confusing by the multiplicity of places. 
I keep in mind this map as I prepare the lesson 
and plan just what shall be done with it the next 
Sunday, if the lesson calls for it. 

When the lesson requires it I prepare a brief 
historical outline on a large sheet of white paper 
the size of our map, which is about two and one- 
half by three feet, and pin it to the map. I print 
in large letters with colored crayon so that the 
whole class, about twenty, may read it. For the 


12 


Preparing the Lesson 


lessons on the kings of the divided kingdom of 
Israel I made the following outline. At the 
center, near the top, I placed in a column the 
names of the three kings before the division. At 
the left in a column the names of the principal 
kings of the northern kingdom as we studied 
them; at the right the names of the principal 
kings of Judah, or the southern kingdom. 

When we had a lesson about or from a prophet 
I placed his name near the column of kings of the 
kingdom to which he belonged. After the cap¬ 
tivity of Judah I placed the names of the prophets 
of the captivity in the center near the bottom of 
the chart. 

As most people learn more readily through the 
eye than the ear, I find that these brief outlines 
plainly printed aid greatly in enabling the class 
to retain the history of the lessons. 

I take five different papers or magazines which 
have write-ups on the lessons. They include The 
Sunday School Times and William Jennings 
Bryan’s newspaper column. Four of them are 
sound; the fifth has at least a very strong leaning 
to modernism—the bringing in of the Kingdom 
by religious education and our own energetic and 
continual good works. I find this one useful by 
way of comparison and by showing me just when 
to sound a note of warning. I note the point on 
which it puts special and deceptive emphasis, and 


How I Prepare My Lesson eor Teaching 13 


by reading sound commentators and looking up 
Bible references I am ready to hold the class to 
the Word on that point. 

Some time during the remainder of the week I 
find time to read all these different presentations 
of the lesson, jotting down what seem to be the 
highlights as I read. With each set of comments 
I reread the Scripture text. I think over both 
the Scripture and the lesson comments as I am 
about my work that does not require close mental 
attention. By Saturday I usually have the out¬ 
line of the points I wish to make pretty well in 
mind, and Saturday or early Sunday morning I 
make out the briefest outline possible of the man¬ 
ner in which I wish to present that particular 
lesson. 

The last thing before going to service, I go to 
prayer and ask that the Holy Spirit may speak 
to the class through the lesson. We begin by the 
use in concert of the Psalm prayer: “Open thou 
mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out 
of thy law. ’ 9 

My manner of presentation varies. I believe 
this is a strong point in keeping up interest. 
While there is a general line of sameness, yet 
variety is spice to a Sunday-school lesson as well 
as to “life,” and the teacher must prepare for it 
or he will soon be in a rut. 

Sometimes the whole thought of the lesson may 


14 


Preparing the Lesson 


be brought out by a series of references. I like 
such a lesson; for example, on the surety and 
indestructibility of God’s Word, by the use of 
Nave’s Topical Bible (which, by the way, I find 
most helpful) and Cruden’s Concordance, I soon 
made out a list of references that occupied the 
entire time of the class after the reading of the 
lesson text and touching briefly upon the setting 
of the incident. The Word itself speaks with 
more power than any commentator. 

In thinking over the points during the week I 
often see one which I feel may be helpful to some 
particular member of the class and pray that it 
may be, but I never make a personal reference 
in class. 

One can not come in contact Sunday after Sun¬ 
day with his class, hearing them express them¬ 
selves, becoming acquainted with them, and learn¬ 
ing something of their individual lives without 
coming to care a great deal for them and desiring 
that they may truly “grow in grace and in the 
knowledge of our Lord and Saviour”; and so, in 
preparing the lesson, the love for the class and 
the needs of the class are before the teacher. 

As for illustrations, the lesson helps are 
usually quite abundant in them, but often a local 
incident with which the class are all familiar car¬ 
ries the truth home in a more forceful way than 
any outside illustration will do. 


How I Prepare My Lesson for Teaching 15 

In the matter of 4 ‘preparing discussions,” I 
rather prepare to avoid them. My experience as 
a member of classes which indulged a great deal 
in discussions has been that those taking part in 
them usually have very little Bible authority to 
back them and very little knowledge of the "Word. 
Many a lesson-period have I sat through listening 
to lively discussions of social, business and 
political questions which were dragged in and 
which amounted merely to the exchange of per¬ 
sonal viewpoints, while the Word was neglected, 
the class dispersing with no more knowledge of 
it than when they came. I believe the text: “The 
entrance of thy tvords giveth light; it giveth un¬ 
derstanding unto the simple.” The Word giveth 
light and understanding not only in regard to 
eternal things but to temporal things as well. 
Social and political subjects are read aright only 
as they are read through the light of the Word. 
How shall we read unless we know the Word, and 
when and where shall we learn the Word? I con¬ 
sider the greatest compliment I have received as 
a teacher is, “We get the Bible in our class.” 

As for “driving home the application,” and to 
me there is a difference between illustrating the 
truth and driving home the application, I prepare 
almost nothing on that, yet I feel sure it is driven 
home. About my only effort is in the form of a 
general question which I leave each member to 


16 


Preparing the Lesson 


answer for himself. I believe Hebrews 4:12, 4 4 For 
the Word of God is quick and powerful, and 
sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even 
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of 
joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the 
thoughts and intents of the heart . 9 9 I believe the 
Holy Spirit is faithful, and through the Word he 
drives home the application far beyond my power 
to do so. I believe if like Ezekiel we 4 4 eat the 
roll”—feast on his Word—we too shall find it 
sweeter than honey, and be set upon our feet 
ready to do his bidding. 

To summarize, I find that a teacher’s successful 
preparation of the lesson includes, in addition to 
a careful study of text and use of methods, earnest 
prayer, a conviction of the absolute truth and 
authority of the Word, and Christian love and 
solicitude for those who sit under his instruction. 


II 


GETTING ACTION INTO THE LESSON 

PERIOD 

By Mary E. Bemis 

“What gets me is, how did Jesus get up into 
the sky again ?” 

“Who made God?” 

Just how would you have answered these ques¬ 
tions of two small boys? To be ready for any¬ 
thing, however startling, is part of a teacher’s 
privilege and to answer questions wisely to the 
satisfaction of the small boy or girl is no mean 
accomplishment. 

I begin my study of a lesson about a week be¬ 
fore it is to be used. In other words, as soon as 
one lesson has been taught, I begin work on the 
next. First I read over the designated passages 
of Scripture and any other portions necessary to 
give the setting. Then I study the notes in the 
lesson quarterly used by the class, looking up 
Bible references as they occur. With these I read 
The Sunday School Times, which gives a broad 
outlook upon the lesson, from the deeper back- 

17 


18 


Preparing the Lesson 


ground material found in the special articles and 
Dr. Smellie’s column to the very practical sug¬ 
gestions of the regular departments. I look in a 
Bible dictionary or encyclopedia for anything 
that is not clearly understood. 

As I study the Bible and various articles I 
keep my mind ready to seize upon the special 
teaching points that I can use to the best ad¬ 
vantage with my class of boys. I usually select 
two points, one which will lead toward a greater 
knowledge of the Bible, and the other some prac¬ 
tical point which will help the boys in their every¬ 
day Christian life. Having chosen the main 
points, I gather around each one material that 
will emphasize the thought. 

The point selected to increase the pupiPs 
knowledge of the Bible varies with the lessons. 
If the verses used for the lesson cover some Bible 
story that should be thoroughly learned, then 
every effort is made to teach the story so that it 
will not be forgotten. If the lesson is found in 
the Books of Chronicles, the parallel passage in 
Samuel or Kings may be read and the relation 
of the books to each other, the time at which they 
were written, and other facts may be explained. 
Or from a lesson in the Gospels which refers to 
some Old Testament prophecy, the connection be¬ 
tween the Old and New Testaments may be shown 
by finding the prophecy and comparing the 


Getting Action into the Lesson Period 19 

passages. Again, if the lesson is one that is diffi¬ 
cult for children to understand I take it as an 
opportunity for teaching something about the 
book itself, or I select a suitable verse and with 
the aid of Bible references and a concordance find 
other Bible verses which express the same or 
similar thoughts. These verses are used as a 
Bible drill which helps familiarize the children 
with the Bible—a reference is read and the one 
who finds it first reads it aloud. 

For the practical point of the lesson, illustra¬ 
tions from life and stories that will interest and 
hold the attention of the class are selected. If 
too many stories are used the tendency is to scat¬ 
ter the thought, but one or two stories well told 
will help to strengthen the desired idea in the 
mind. Frequently an effective story is found in 
some book or magazine, or some topic of current 
events may be fittingly applied to the lesson. At 
intervals I plan to use a missionary story when 
it will serve the double purpose of illustrating the 
lesson and keeping up an interest in missionary 
work. I read the magazine “Missions” with this 
thought in mind. 

Every Sunday I plan to have some feature that 
will put some action into the lesson period or at 
least help to hold the attention. It may be a 
Scripture drill as before mentioned, or some writ¬ 
ten work or a blackboard exercise. The latter 



20 


Preparing the Lesson 


may consist in a simple cartoon, a catchy motto, 
a list of words or phrases describing some person 
or problem, or an example in arithmetic which 
may be drawn from the lesson. Map work has 
also proved helpful. Our class made its own 
large maps last year, one for Paul’s missionary 
journeys and another to show the kingdoms of 
Judah and Israel. The class met on a week-night 
and enlarged the map from a small copy to one 
about three feet by four feet on heavy brown 
paper. At first we drew simply the outlines with 
mountains, rivers; then, as the lessons progressed, 
we added the towns in colored crayon as we came 
to them. 

Object lessons are very good if suitable ones 
can be found or worked out. I like to surprise 
my class with one occasionally. For instance, 
once I used a tall candle and a short piece of one. 
After they were lighted I asked, “Which one 
would you rather have?” and “Why?” Then I 
brought out the point that a boy who gives his 
heart to Christ when he is young can give his 
Master longer and more worth-while service than 
a man who has lived out half his life. Another 
time I took some different dishes in a basket, and, 
taking each one out separately, asked the boys if 
they could tell what the maker of the dish in¬ 
tended it to be used for. Then I pictured the 
confusion that would result if sugar were put in 


Getting Action into the Lesson Period 21 

the milk pitcher, salt in the sugar bowl, and so on. 
From that I led up to the thought that God has a 
definite purpose in life for each one of us, and 
appealed to the boys to do their best to find out 
and to do the very thing that God intended for 
them. (This object lesson is found in a pamphlet, 
“Object Lessons of Scripture, No. 1,” Charles 
Eickenberg, 4029 North Hermitage Avenue, Chi¬ 
cago, Illinois, 20 cents.) I find that object lessons 
are best conducted by means of questions, getting 
the pupils to think “why” rather than telling the 
whole story. 

As far as possible I have the boys carry out 
the different exercises—writing on the black¬ 
board, doing map work and object lessons, etc . If 
this work is to be of value each step must be care¬ 
fully planned. Sometimes I give the boys a share 
in this preparation by asking them to be ready 
to do some definite part or to provide materials. 

Having studied the lesson material and after 
selecting the teaching points and planning the 
illustrations to be used, I come to the arrange¬ 
ment of my program for the class hour. I try 
to vary the manner of attack in order to gain the 
first attention of the class. Sometimes I begin 
with a story, sometimes with a Scripture drill, 
or a quick review on the map. Occasionally I 
have them learn a Bible verse and lead the 
thought on from that. A question about some- 


22 


Preparing the Lesson 


thing in which they are vitally interested is a 
good leader, since it may be varied in many ways. 
For instance, ‘ 4 Did yon ever look through a micro¬ 
scope! What did it do to the object? Now, find 
Galatians 6:7. We’re going to look at that verse 
through a microscope.” After deciding on the 
best way to begin I usually proceed through the 
Scripture lesson to the practical application of it, 
planning in a general way the important ques¬ 
tions to be used. For a last impression I like to 
leave a thought of inspiration, challenge or ap¬ 
peal to better Christian living and so work up 
to that as a sort of climax. A Sunday-school 
worker once said in my hearing that the work of 
a teacher is something like that of a blacksmith. 
He must heat up the old material, lay on the new, 
and pound. It is pounding that brings the re¬ 
sults. I try to keep this thought in mind and plan 
the lesson so that my blows of emphasis will fall 
to advantage and a definite impression be made. 

With the program in order I glance through 
the next lesson to see what, if any, assignments 
should be given out for the following week. It 
may be parts of the Bible story to be read at 
home and told in class to save time, or towns to 
locate on the map, some subject to read up in an 
encyclopedia or a chapter from a book such as 
“Boy Talks,” by Philip E. Howard, to be read 
and reported in class. I have sometimes used the 


Getting Action into the Lesson Period 23 

telephone or the mails in making assignments. 

In order to crystallize my thoughts and to aid 
my memory, I nearly always write an outline for 
the program on a slip of paper. At the top the 
date and notes to remind me of any matters of 
business that should come before the class. Then 
the assignments for the next lesson and a note 
of special memory work, if there is any at the 
time. The program for the lesson is then set 
down briefly with Scripture references, important 
questions, and other notes in proper order. Of 
course, interruptions frequently occur and I can¬ 
not follow my program exactly as I planned, but 
in any case I pray that the Lord will deliver his 
message in some way to each member of the class. 

Being as busy as the average person, I make 
my preparation for the lesson in odd moments 
during the week and usually the last thing every 
night. By keeping always on the lookout for suit¬ 
able material I frequently find a lesson almost 
planning itself with very little conscious effort 
on my part, as sometimes when I begin studying 
a lesson there comes immediately to my mind an 
illustration that I had been keeping in the back 
of my head for weeks or months, and I build my 
lesson around that. At other times I have to dig 
a lesson out by main strength. Whatever the 
method of securing the lesson plans, I always find 
it worth all I put into it. 


Ill 


MAKING YOUR OWN BIBLE COMMENTARY 

By H. Ellis Lininger 

The best illustrations for most effective use are 
found in the Scriptures themselves. It is well to 
be on the lookout in your reading of the Bible for 
these. If you are reading the Bible in course, 
and have begun the study of your lesson in ad¬ 
vance, you will find these with little effort. It is 
well to note them and place your notes where 
they can be looked over during the preparation 
of each lesson. I have found that a large envelope 
will receive such notations and illustrations 
clipped from time to time as we are reading the 
magazines, books, and papers. From this store 
many good illustrations may be found. To start 
out on a search for illustrations while you are 
preparing the lesson is a hard task if you have 
no stock on hand that has been gathered before. 
Such continual preparation makes teaching a busi¬ 
ness rather than a one-day affair. 

I have my “crow quill” pen and “india ink” 
at hand and use it freely in marking my Bible 


24 


Making Your Own Bible Commentary 25 


with such marginal references as I may want to 
use in the future in teaching or otherwise, for 
making notes that will help me in teaching the 
lesson, for writing in meanings of words or 
phrases, for outlining the passage, or for any 
other notes that occur to me to be of permanent 
value in Bible study. A Bible put through a 
course like this is worth all the helps on the les¬ 
son for future use. To me this is the most helpful 
step in lesson preparation. I then have my Bible 
ready for use in the class or future study. This 
takes time, but is a time-saver in the long run. 
It is the most helpful discovery I have made in 
Bible study or lesson planning. 


IV 


DAY-BY-DAY PREPARATION 
By Leslie E. Dunkin 

The class or classes of junior boys, boys of ages 
from nine to thirteen years inclusive, are gen¬ 
erally considered as “the thorn in the flesh’’ for 
the average Sunday-school and the teacher. I 
must confess that at times they are a “thorn in 
the flesh,’ r but each thorn means there are roses 
near, so I look for the roses in the difficulties. 

I make it a rule to commence my lesson prep¬ 
aration on the afternoon of the Sunday previous. 
At that time the former lesson is fresh in my 
mind, so it does not require much bringing-up 
preparation, except to work out the connection in 
time and action, and the like, between the old les¬ 
son and the new one. I have found that I can get 
the best results by beginning and closing the 
week’s preparation with straight Bible study and 
prayer, so the first thing on Sunday afternoon I 
have a moment of prayer—silent prayer if it is 
impossible to be alone—to ask for guidance and 
interpretation in the preparing of the lesson. 


26 



Day-by-Day Preparation 


27 


I then turn to my Bible. If the lessons are con¬ 
secutive in reference to time and geography, and 
if it is not too long a space between the* lessons, 
I read from the close of the former lesson through 
the next one. If the space between the two les¬ 
sons is too long, I merely glance over it hurriedly, 
so as to get the general connection. I then re¬ 
read the Scripture passage for the new lesson. 
Following this, I sit back and try to think for 
myself just what the lessons are, in the passage. 
I find it handy to make use of a pencil and scratch- 
paper to jot down my thoughts in a brief form. 

Not until this time do I take up anything ex¬ 
cept my Bible. Now I turn to my Sunday-school 
teacher’s quarterly and the copy of The Sunday 
School Times that contains the lesson. By glanc¬ 
ing over my quarterly I am able to rearrange or 
reshape my own thoughts to harmonize with the 
central thought of the lesson. 

My first thought in the Times is, “Say, Fel¬ 
lows — 99 department. This gets my mind running 
along like that of a boy. From this I turn to 
“The Lesson Pilot/’ I follow this closely with 
my Bible near at hand. I look up all the refer¬ 
ences that are made in the “Pilot,” taking in 
“This Week’s Teaching Principle,” “The Lesson 
as a Whole,” Dr. Smellie’s discussion, “The One- 
Minute Mission Talk,” “The Busy Men’s Cor¬ 
ner,” and “The Illustration Bound-Table.” 


28 Preparing the Lesson 

i 

I find that this gives me a good foundation. 
After finishing “The Lesson Pilot / 9 I return to 
“The Illustration Round-Table” with my scis¬ 
sors. Not all of the illustrations are such as 
would interest boys, so I cut out only those that 
would appeal to them. Some of these illustra¬ 
tions I can, use verbatim. Quite a few need to be 
given a boy coloring. Some I find give sugges¬ 
tions for boys’ illustrations that I can make up 
myself. Before laying the paper aside I cut out 
the “Lesson Cartoon.” 

This finishes my Sunday preparations, except 
for a few minutes of thought as to whether I can 
think of good illustrations on the lesson in any 
book I have read. If I think of any I go to these 
books and reread the part that has the illustra¬ 
tion to freshen it in my mind—taking brief notes 
if necessary. 

From fifteen to thirty minutes are used each 
day—preferably in the evening, shortly before re¬ 
tiring—to give more thought to the Sunday-school 
lesson. During these times the Scripture pas¬ 
sage, the background, and all the contemporary 
passages to the lesson are studied and organized 
for presentation. No paper that gives any 
thought or discussion to the lesson slips by with¬ 
out my glancing over it for some possible new 
suggestions. 

The daily newspaper contributes to my prep- 


Day-by-Day Preparation 


29 


aration for the lesson for the boys. My Sunday 
afternoon’s work places the central thought and 
lessons from that one lesson in my mind. As I 
read the local newspaper from day to day I run 
on to many current events or local happenings 
that bear upon the thought of the lesson. I cut 
out each one of these and place them with my 
other illustrations and lesson material. Some 
murder, where an uncontrolled temper, jealousy, 
or the like, enters, furnishes a good illustration. 
Some big accomplishment by a local person or a 
national one furnishes illustrations. The sport¬ 
ing page of the paper gives the most illustra¬ 
tions. Every boy is a lover of sports, and a sport 
illustration means more to them than any other 
kind. An athlete who has' made good through 
practice and training gives a vivid illustration, 
as well as the one who fails because of lack of 
training and dissipation. 

During the week I try to think of some con¬ 
crete thing I can take before the class as an illus¬ 
tration of some part of the lesson. For instance, 
when the lesson was on faith I took a peanut to 
class with me. I kept it in my pocket and then 
took it out, but left it concealed in my closed 
hand. I told the boys* I had something in my hand 
that nobody had ever seen, and after opening the 
hand and showing it to them I would put it where 
nobody would ever see it again. Before opening 


30 


Preparing the Lesson 


my hand I asked all the boys who had enough 
faith in my word to believe I had such a thing to 
raise their hands. A little over half raised their 
hands. I opened my hand and showed them the 
peanut. I shelled the nut and showed them the 
kernel, a thing that nobody had ever seen before. 
After showing it to all the boys I put it in my 
mouth and ate it and nobody has seen it since. 
Then I drove home the meaning of faith. 

With all of this preparation I come up to Satur¬ 
day night for the finale of it. Nothing can draw 
me away from my time on Saturday evening for 
finishing the preparation for the class of boys. 
I organize my material in such a manner that I 
can lay aside everything except my Bible, the les¬ 
son cartoon, and the concrete illustration, and yet 
go over the entire lesson in my mind. It is my 
endeavor to have a live illustration for starting 
the lesson besides about fifteen or twenty others 
for reserve during the lesson presentation. Never 
have I been obliged to use all of them, and I hope 
I never shall. In my mind is an outline of my 
own for the coming Sunday-school lesson. 


V 


HOW A BUSY MOTHER MANAGES 

By Mrs. Ernest Planck $ hi . 

First there' should be found some place where 
there is to be expected a reasonable degree of 
quiet and seclusion. Then if unavoidable dis¬ 
tractions arise I try to let them only interrupt, 
not put a stop to the lesson* preparation. When 
interruptions come, if we always go back, with 
patience and quietness of spirit, to the matter 
on hand, there is no real loss to us, because of 
them. On Sunday afternoon, while the lesson 
taught that morning is still fresh in mind, I read 
over the lesson for the following Sunday from 
my Bible, not making notes of any kind, simply 
letting the lesson “sink in.” The next day, I 
pray, asking God to speak to me through his 
Word, as found in this lesson, and give me 
spiritual insight to understand the true meaning. 

Immediately upon arising from this prayer I 
reread the lesson, having with me a pencil and 
tablet, which I use for making, in separate col¬ 
umns, a list of people, places and events men- 

31 


32 Preparing the Lesson 

tioned therein, also of all the truths taught by the 
lesson, such as faith, obedience, loyalty, unselfish¬ 
ness. If there are mentioned any Oriental cus¬ 
toms, unfamiliar places, persons, weights or 
measures, these are carefully hunted up and ac¬ 
curately fixed in my own mind—for what is ob¬ 
scure to the teacher will likely be more so to- the 
average pupil. For such research a good Bible 
dictionary and maps are essential. 

Next I read any related passages of Scripture 
which’ tell of the* same happenings in a different 
way, perhaps, or which throw any light on the 
characters mentioned. For this a good harmony 
of the Gospels stays on my study table. Bight 
here it might be well to suggest the keeping of 
your teaching tools in one place. This saves time 
and steps which might be necessary in going back 
and forth to your library. 

At this stage I usually leave the lesson until 
the following day. Long periods of study are 
usually impossible in the life of a busy “mother 
worker,” and by no means should the study of 
the Sunday-school lesson interfere with the daily 
quiet hour for personal devotional Bible study 
and prayer. 

On the next day I choose from the various listed 
lesson truths the one truth which seems best 
suited to the individual needs of my class. Or 
perhaps, if there is known a special need of one 


How a Busy Mother Manages 


33 


pupil, the lesson is built with this particular child 
in view. The other children often need the same 
thought impressed: Would it be well to emphasize 
the large importance of attempting to teach but 
one lesson truth rather than everything found in 
the lesson? 

After the choice of the one truth to be taught 
the next problem is to think of some interesting 
way to catch the interest and attention of the 
class. I have found the keeping of a notebook, 
which is labeled “Points of Contact/’ very help¬ 
ful in my own teaching experience. This book 
closely resembles a queer-looking scrapbook and 
is made up of possible points of contact which 
have occurred to me at various odd times, any¬ 
thing that is full of interest and appeal to the 
youthful mind and understanding. It is made up 
of clippings from various sources—newspapers, 
religious papers, some pictures, some short hero 
stories, bits of real life, but mostly incidents taken 
from the life and experience of my own children. 
Also illustrations from nature or plant life are 
very usable. As an example, in urging the giving 
of our whole selves to Jesus, not withholding lips 
for prayer service, hands or feet from loving 
service, or voice or talents, I once used two roses 
—one with long stem and green foliage and flower 
petals intact. From the other I gradually 
stripped everything, leaving only the bare stem 


34 


Preparing the Lesson 


in its ngliness and uselessness. They soon saw 
what a poor gift the flower stripped of its parts 
made, and easily made the application in regard 
to the gift of their own bodies and members to 
Christ. They wanted to withhold nothing. Some 
of these illustrations I have never yet had occa¬ 
sion to use, but they are stored up for future 
reference, and when, because of sickness or 
trouble, the time for lesson preparation is cur¬ 
tailed, these are to me invaluable. There are 
many excellent similar illustrations available for 
every teacher to be found in the various lesson 
helps furnished in most schools. My object is to 
find one which is short, apt, and closely related 
to the spiritual truth to be impressed. Then I 
develop my lesson around this idea or picture or 
object, or even a question—for the point of con¬ 
tact may be any of these. 

Then, with watch in hand, I go over, the lesson 
as I expect to teach it, either silently or out loud 
—following the point of contact with a short 
resume of the ground covered by the last few 
weeks’ lessons, and including the historic setting 
and facts, having every question well planned 
with a view to its reaction on the pupil—reserv¬ 
ing always sufficient time for a little blackboard 
suggestion—for the eye retains what the ear 
sometimes fails to retain. I emphatically believe 
in the regular use of the blackboard in the class- 


How a Busy Mother Manages 


35 


room. Notebooks for the pupils, to be used in 
connection with such board work, are very good. 

I vary little in my lesson preparation, but try 
always to 'present the lesson in a different way 
each week. Variety is certainly the spice of 
teaching. Also different lessons require such 
different handling. If there is half an hour 
allotted for the teaching of the lesson, plan the 
lesson so there will be a* margin of time, of from 
five to ten minutes, free for discussion, for unex¬ 
pected questions, personal difficulties and for see¬ 
ing that the application of the lesson is clear 
enough to be, as our state worker, Mr. Leon C. 
Palmer, said: “Like the point of a joke, seen and 
not heard .’ 9 And, last but not least, that there 
may be unhurried time at the close of the period 
for prayer. A sentence prayer from each mem¬ 
ber, the leader closing, is a good way. In this 
prayer I have frequently seen the pupils immedi¬ 
ately apply the lesson truth to their own lives 
and needs. Such prayer results almost unfail¬ 
ingly in right action. Bight thinking prompts 
right living. Ours is the task as co-workers with 
him to present right thoughts and ideals in an 
attractive way. 

A well-studied, carefully, prayerfully prepared 
lesson can be taught in half the time that a hap¬ 
hazard one could be presented. The teacher 
should be so perfectly familiar with the lesson 


36 


Preparing the Lesson 


that notes are unnecessary, yet I believe it is a 
good thing to take along to class a small card 
upon which the lesson outline has been jotted 
down. I rarely look at these teaching sugges¬ 
tions, and yet, should a young or inexperienced 
teacher be troubled with an unruly child or some 
unavoidable distractions, just a glance at this 
card will insure the progress of a well-ordered 
lesson. 

But just a word of prayer before the starting 
of the lesson often prevents any disciplinary dis¬ 
turbance. It clinches the lesson and gives God a 
chance. Just even a moment of quiet waiting in 
silence together before God gives the Holy Spirit 
an opportunity for preparing the hearts of the 
class. However, it is well to have ready thought 
of some device for catching the wandering atten¬ 
tion should there be restless minds or hands or 
eyes (or even feet, in a boys’ class). Sometimes 
I carry slips of paper and very small pencils and 
have the pupils jot down certain things at my 
suggestion as the lesson progresses. Such as the 
good qualities of one character, the bad ones of 
another, or other characters having had similar! 
experiences, or the places stopped at on a certain 
journey. If the lesson doesn’t seem to “go” or 
take with the class I sometimes discard my cher¬ 
ished plan and dramatize the lesson. This is 
easier than it sounds, and if a part full of action 


How a Busy Mother Manages 


37 


is given to the most troublesome child, I’ve never 
seen it fail to stimulate the interest and work off 
the surplus energy of boys and girls. 

Another plan is occasionally to tell the lesson 
as a story, letting each member draw a picture 
illustrating the fact that most appeals to him. 
For those who simply will not or cannot draw, 
word pictures should suffice. Instead of “ trying 
it on the dog,” I occasionally have a lesson try¬ 
out on one of my own children. I notice care¬ 
fully their reaction to the point of contact and 
questions prepared. My eleven-year-old son has 
often given me valuable suggestions as to suitable 
points of contact for boys. If he is interested, it 
is reasonable to suppose that others will be. If 
he says “Shucks, mother, I never would have 
done- that if I had been there,” into the trash bas¬ 
ket goes my plan. The real key to the situation 
is, what he would have done or said, and around 
this is the new lesson planned. 

May we not sum up the matter of lesson prep¬ 
aration in some such way as this: 

T-[BAYER 

REPARATION 

UNCTUALITY 

-1 LAN 

ATIENCE 

ERSEVERANCE 

RAYER 






VI 


HOW A BUSY BUSINESS MAN MANAGES 

By N. E. Carnine 

I am a busy business man, bnt in the distribu¬ 
tion of my time I have set aside certain definite 
periods each day of the week to prepare the Sun¬ 
day-school lesson, and ordinary business matters 
and social engagements are not allowed to en¬ 
croach upon them. 

I am the teacher of a large organized class of 
wideawake boys of high school age. I am sen¬ 
sible of the responsibility resting on me and I 
would not have the courage to appear before them 
week after week but for the assurance of Divine 
help. To paraphrase a familiar expression, I aim 
to pray as though everything connected with my 
teaching depended upon the guidance of the Holy 
Spirit and then to work at my preparation as 
though everything depended upon myself. 

The work on any particular lesson begins on 
Sunday afternoon, one week in advance. The first 
step is to read over the assigned passage of Scrip¬ 
ture together with its historical setting until I 

38 


How a Busy Business Man Manages 39 


have it well in mind. During this stage of my 
preparation I make frequent reference to my 
Bible dictionary, concordance and commentary. 
Then I am ready for my various lesson helps, 
consisting of The Sunday School Times, several 
helps that are supplied by our school and others 
that I provide for myself. In fact, I read every¬ 
thing that I can find having any bearing on the 
lesson. As I do this preliminary reading I mark 
any passages that it seems probable I can make 
use of, using a system of marks which show at a 
glance whether the thought applies to the intro¬ 
duction, the closing, or some verse of the lesson. 
During this reading I am on the lookout for suit¬ 
able illustrations that really illustrate. I have 
found that the boys are especially interested in 
current events and so I keep the lesson constantly 
in mind as I read the newspapers and magazines 
for any items that can be used in connection with 
the presentation of the Sunday-school lesson. 
Frequently I find some subject that necessitates 
my going to the public library for accurate, up-to- 
the-minute information. 

In the pursuit of my regular business I take 
long automobile drives, and oftentimes alone. I 
find these trips an excellent time to thresh over 
the facts I have been gathering and getting them 
into shape. Even in the waking hours of the 
night my mind dwells on the lesson and it is then 


40 


Preparing the Lesson 


that I get some of my most helpful suggestions. 
In short, I look upon my responsibility to my class 
of boys as the biggest thing in my life and I work 
at it practically all of my waking hours. 

Let me say right here that one of my worst 
temptations is discouragement. The thought fre¬ 
quently comes to me that I am spending as much 
time in the preparation of my lessons as some 
ministers do on their sermons and yet with such 
poor results. Some of my most earnest efforts 
fall the flattest and seem to arouse only a passing 
interest in the minds of my boys. There is not a 
week that the devil does not suggest to me that 
the results of my teaching do not justify the 
effort, that someone else would do it easier and 
better. And so I fight this battle over and over 
again, but I am quite determined that, God help¬ 
ing me, I am going ahead, doing the best I can, 
just so long as it seems to be his will for me 
to do it. 

By Thursday or Friday night, at the latest, I 
have completed my preliminary reading and then 
I take the whole evening to get my material 
together and to sort out what I want to use. My 
first concern is for a suitable opening or introduc¬ 
tion that will grip and hold the attention of the 
boys from the start. This is of vital importance. 
On going into our classroom I am frequently con¬ 
scious that the very air is charged with sup- 


How a Busy Business Man Manages 41 

pressed excitement over some sport or school 
matter which the boys have been discussing as 
they congregate. Frequently I find it wise to get 
the subject of their excitement into the open and 
so let them discuss it for a moment, and then turn 
their thoughts to the lesson at the earliest oppor¬ 
tunity. 

I have no set plan for presenting the lesson. 
Sometimes I begin with a question that will start 
a friendly discussion, but always one that has a 
direct bearing on the lesson. Occasionally I start 
with a story, or an illustration, or some current 
event. This is the critical time of the lesson hour 
and the principal object in mind up to. this time 
is to get the individual attention of each boy. I 
always stand when teaching so that I can see 
each face, and if at any time I feel that the atten¬ 
tion of the class is slipping away from me, I en¬ 
deavor to recover it with some unexpected ques¬ 
tion or a good illustration, of which I always plan 
to have a goodly number in reserve. 

Having decided on a general plan for present¬ 
ing the lesson, and on the introduction, I take up 
the lesson verse by verse, making a complete out¬ 
line, but always providing more material than I 
expect to use. In this way I am usually prepared 
for any questions that the boys may ask. 

The most profitable part of the hour is the 
close. I try to plan carefully to round up the 


42 


Preparing the Lesson 


various lesson thoughts and to make the proper 
applications. I am especially careful not to 
“ preach’’ at my boys. They will not always take 
it kindly from a parent or teacher. It is better 
to let the boys do that themselves. A few judi¬ 
cious questions will usually bring out the desired 
application from the boys. They not only do it 
well, but they seem to enjoy doing it. 

In preparing an outline of the lesson I have no 
set place for prayer. Sometimes we have it at 
opening if the “atmosphere’’ is favorable. Occa¬ 
sionally we have a season of prayer, several of 
the boys leading, but my experience has been that 
it is nearly always more effective at the close. 
Now and then boys of this age will ask questions 
that no human being can answer. In such cases 
I prefer to say frankly that I don’t know and 
don’t know how to find out except to ask God 
about it, and right there have a definite prayer 
asking God to show us the answer if he wants us 
to have it. This is in line with my constant policy 
to encourage the boys to pray over everything 
that affects their lives such as their studies, their 
sports and other details. 

The primary object of my teaching is to bring 
each boy to an acceptance of Jesus Christ and to 
the giving of his life to Christian service. I feel 
that any lesson is a failure that does- not present 
these fundamental facts in some convincing way. 


VII 


GAINING BY EARLY PREPARATION 
By Lucy C. Stone 

Being a business woman, with household duties 
besides, the first problem* was, “How can I find 
the time necessary to the careful preparation of 
the Sunday-school lesson V 9 

In the evenings there are too many duties, too 
many distractions and interruptions. I cannot 
find time for anything more than my daily Bible 
reading and study, which does not take the place 
of the lesson study nor vice versa. 

For years, therefore, I have set apart my Sun¬ 
day afternoons for this purpose. The only 
friends who are likely to call on me Sundays 
know and respect my habit and I very seldom 
allow anything to interfere with my purpose. 

As soon as the dinner work is out of the way 
I sit down with my Bible, Sunday School Times 
and Sunday School Teacher, with my reference 
books close at hand. I separate myself from 
everything else and “take no note of time” until 
I have thoroughly mastered my lesson. I usually 

43 


44 


Pkepaking the Lesson 


finish by six-thirty or seven, but sometimes it is 
eight o’clock before I am ready to stop. 

Saturday evening I take out my notebook, go 
carefully over my notes, pick out any reference 
material required and make any necessary mem¬ 
oranda and write out the home* questions. Then 
I lay everything in order under my Bible, with 
my collection on top, feeling that with spindle 
and distaff ready God will surely send the flax. 

This plan of preparing the lesson complete at 
one sitting, and that a whole week in advance, 
may not be altogether ideal, but it has its advan¬ 
tages : 

First. A lesson thus prepared is not affected 
by any unlooked-for or hindering circumstances 
during the week. 

Second. The Spirit of God’s day is a great aid 
in the study of his Word, and more can be accom¬ 
plished in the same length of time. 

That this plan requires perseverance and not a 
little sacrifice is perhaps one of the elements 
which enter into its success. 

“Does it pay?” In my own case I can testify 
that it has paid “an hundredfold” on the invest¬ 
ment ; the blessing has been not alone to my class, 
but to the teacher as well, and I commend it to 
the busy person who finds it a difficult matter to 
find the time for lesson study. 

Sample page from my lesson notebook: 


Gaining by Early Preparation 


45 


February 12th, Lesson 7 
Healing of Naaman 

With today’s lesson several new characters are 
introduced: 

Naaman (meaning Grace or Pleasantness). 

Little Maid. 

Servants. 

Jessie —What kind of a man was Naaman? 

Adele —Tell us something about leprosy. 

(Two million lepers in the world today) 

Naaman was rich, honored, the king’s - favorite, 
but there is a But in almost every life. His was 
an envious position, but who would be a* leper? 
There is help for Naaman, but it comes from an 
unexpected source. 

A little maid. 

A captive maid. (A little maid, but big enough 
to grasp a big opportunity.) 

Marian —What idea do you form of this little 
maid? (How many worshipers of Jehovah were 
left? See 1 Kings 19:18.) This little maid was 
one of the* seven thousand. She was faithful, 
courageous, sweet-spirited^ 

Suppose you had been carried captive into a 
heathen land, would you have kept your faith? 
Would you have overcome circumstances or 
would circumstances have overcome you? 

She might have said: “I am such a little girl 
and a captive, it is of no use for me to speak.” 


46 


Preparing the Lesson 


(Illustration, Sunday School Times, page 64.) 

What is the result? Letter and gift. (Fifty 
to seventy thousand dollars and ten changes of 
raiment.) 

What effect does the letter have upon the king 
of Israel? 

Elisha comes to the rescue. 

What is his purpose? (Verse 8.) 

Elisha might have said, “I cannot help because: 
1. Naaman is not a Jew. 2. He is an enemy. 3. 
He is afflicted with a loathsome disease .’’ 

To one who is not a Christian, any one of these 
reasons would have been sufficient for withhold¬ 
ing help. 

To one who is a Christian they constitute the 
reasons for giving it. 

Elisha’s word to “wash seven times.” 

Marian —Why “seven” times? 

Leprosy a type of sin. Nauruan’s cure and ours 
is only through obedience. (Central truth.) 


yin 

A LEAF FROM A TEACHER’S NOTE BOOK 

By Mrs. Eric Lewis 

My time is very limited, as I have a very large 
household to care for, and missionary interests 
are also very dear to my heart and take up most 
of my spare moments and energies. I have fonnd 
that the best time to prepare my Sunday-school 
lesson is half an hour in the morning, just before 
rising. Perfect quiet, no interruptions, soul and 
body refreshed and renewed by sleep, one’s mind 
is ready to assimilate the good things The Sun¬ 
day School Times offers. The little effort it costs 
is repaid a thousand times by what one gets, food 
and thought for one’s own need, and help and 
inspiration to teach the class. 

After reading the lesson itself I generally start 
by reading through carefully all the lesson helps 
from the “Lesson Pilot” to the “Boys’ Class,” 
also any leading article in The Sunday School 
Times bearing on the same subject. 

My class consists of girls from fourteen to six¬ 
teen years of age, all going to high school. 

47 


48 


Preparing the Lesson 


As I read I aim to select material which will 
suit the type of mind my class represents and 
as I proceed I make a pencil mark on the margin 
whenever I come across an idea that strikes me 
as being helpful or of interest to my girls. 

I am learning to classify these marks under 
three main headings, A, B, C. A. Geography and 
historical background. B. Incident and character. 
C . Spiritual application. Thus, proceeding from 
article to article, I often find the same fact or 
truth presented from varied angles, supplying me 
with a wealth of material, making the lesson more 
helpful and attractive. Also I am careful to look 
up the Scripture references, underlining for my 
use those that strike me as most valuable. 

Whenever applicable in the lesson I look out 
for Bible illustrations and comparisons to stimu¬ 
late thinking and to implant Bible knowledge. I 
am also on the lookout for illustrations in any 
book or magazine that I may be reading at any 
time during the week. 

To read through The Sunday School Times’ 
pages on the lesson takes me about three' or four 
mornings. During the day, while I am busy at 
work cooking, sewing, or gardening, I digest and 
assimilate a great deal of what I have been 
reading. 

Toward the end of the* week I start to write 
out an outline of the lesson in my notebook, which 


A Leaf from a Teacher’s Note Book 49 

I keep for this purpose. It is a thin notebook with 
a stiff cover, one which will easily slip inside the 
cover of my Scofield Reference Bible, which I 
always use when preparing my lesson. 

Under each of the main headings I gather up 
all the ideas I have selected from the various les¬ 
son helps, underlining anything of special im¬ 
portance. I transfer to my notebook from the 
S. S. Times the Scripture references which I have 
underlined, each under one or other of the above 
headings. 

Thus I find that all my notes are in good order, 
each thought in its right place; and when the time 
for teaching has come I can see at a glance how 
to proceed. 

This idea of classifying has only come to me 
gradually. I used to glean all the information I 
could, but it was a confused jumble in my mind, 
and to put it down in my notebook I found a most 
difficult task. 

The classified notes make the teaching on Re¬ 
view Sunday quite easy: turning over my note¬ 
book, page by page, each lesson will come back 
to my mind quite readily, and with the many sug¬ 
gestions The Sunday School Times offers on Re¬ 
view Lessons it is not difficult to prepare a set of 
questions embracing the whole quarter’s lessons. 

Another aim I have in preparation is to keep 
the outline of the whole quarter before the mind 


50 


Pkeparing the Lesson 


of the class; for instance, Paul’s four missionary 
journeys, the history of Israel, the history of 
Judah. For that purpose I find that showing and 
explaining charts from time to time is a very 
great help. I have been using “Arnold’s Chart 
of Paul’s Journeyings” and the “Chart of Jew¬ 
ish National History” by Byington. The interest 
awakened by these charts and the intelligent 
grasp of the whole thus conveyed were encourag¬ 
ing to see and demonstrated that their use was 
well worth while. 

The Bible maps are also a great help. To find 
the places mentioned in the lesson is an exercise 
the girls love. It often makes the lesson far more 
comprehensible and real; for instance, in the les¬ 
son, “Hezekiah Leads His People Back to God,” 
from 2 Chronicles 30:1-27, the king’s proclama¬ 
tion was made from Beersheba to Ban. How 
little the significance of this would dawn upon 
the scholar’s mind unless he looked it up on the 
map. At a review lesson on the history of Israel 
I made the girls tell me what happened in the 
following places: Shechem, Cherith, Zarephath, 
Carmel, Horeb, Jordan, Shunem, Samaria, 
Nineveh, Tarshish. How surprised they all were 
to find that Tarshish was in Spain and that Jonah 
meant to go all that long way! 

One more aim I have in teaching, and that to 
my mind is the most important of all. With every 


A Leaf from a Teacher’s Note Book 51 


lesson I endeavor to emphasize the greatest of 
all facts, the person of onr Lord Jesus Christ as 
our Saviour, and the Bible the story of our sal¬ 
vation. These precious truths can be woven into 
every lesson by keeping it in mind when prepar¬ 
ing the message. I was greatly encouraged in 
doing this when I learned from a friend who had 
heard an address by Dr. Campbell Morgan to 
Sunday-school teachers that he had put great 
emphasis on this point. 

While writing this paper it has occurred to me 
that perhaps the best way to illustrate my classi¬ 
fied notes would be to copy out of my notebook 
one of my lessons. For this purpose I have 
chosen the lesson on Ezekiel, the Watchman of 
Israel, Ezekiel 2:1 to 3:27. At a first glance an 
abstract lesson like that looks difficult to teach 
to young girls; also the prophet Ezekiel is an ob¬ 
scure, I might safely say unknown, person to 
them; so is the book and its teaching, so that the 
subject does not look very attractive till one really 
studies it and then I found The Sunday School 
Times helps threw a flood of light on it to me and 
I became very much interested myself. 

These are my notes: 

Ezekiel, the Watchman of Israel 
Ezekiel 2:1 to 3:27 

Geography —Describe Nebuchadnezzar’s prison 
camp (3:15), forty-five miles southeast of Baby- 


52 


Pkepaking the Lesson 


Ion. Plain of Mesopotamia. River Chebar (mod¬ 
ern name Kabor) empties into the Euphrates. 
Ezekiel lived in his own house (3:24). He was 
married (24:16-18.) 

History —EzekiePs deportation ten years be¬ 
fore final ruin (2 Kings 24:14). He knew the 
nobles of Jerusalem. He knew Daniel (14:14). 
EzekiePs writings prove that he was a mature 
man. 

Character and Work —EzekiePs message was to 
the whole house of Israel as well as Judah, both 
in captivity. Twofold ministry (revealing sin), 
(raising hope of future glory). Son of Man— 
This title is mentioned ninety times. One of 
themselves. Qualified to succor them. Stand 
upon thy feet—Alert, courageous, faithful, for¬ 
getting his sorrow. 

Spiritual Application —“I will speak unto 
thee.” (Are we willing to hear?) Then the 
Spirit entered—Energy from above. Two sources 
of strength (God’s Spirit), (God’s Word). (Acts 
1:8.) “Watchman”: a lighthouse pointing out 
danger, peril. “Impudent and stiff-hearted chil¬ 
dren.” The Bible knows how to say it (Heb. 
4:12). God’s love for the wicked (Ezek. 33:11; 
2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16). 

Illustrations —God’s calls and men’s answers. 
Isaiah, who volunteers. Jeremiah, who is timid, 
till strengthened by God’s promise. Moses, who 


A Leaf from a Teacher's Note Book 53 

raises many objections, but finally does his work. 
Jonah, who runs away from duty, but is made 
willing through trial. Paul, who asks, ‘ 4 What 
shall I doT' 

Golden Text —Bound-Table illustration: Why 
men drown. 


IX 


UNTIL THE LESSON GETS THE TEACHER 
By Mrs. J. M. Roberts 

Whether the lesson is taken from Genesis or 
Revelation, the Law or the Prophets, the Gospels 
or the Epistles, the message is the same: Jehovah 
—God; Jesus—the Christ, the Saviour of the 
world. 

With this background I get a view of the les¬ 
sons for the year, then the period, then the quar¬ 
ter as a whole, then the lesson for the week, which 
I read over and over until I get the lesson and 
the lesson gets me. 

After I feel I know the text, or rather the 
record, pretty well, I read Dr. Ellis ’ teaching 
principle in The Sunday School Times; not hav¬ 
ing had training as a teacher, I have been helped 
greatly by Dr. Ellis’ article, often simply for the 
assurance that I was on the right track. I have 
found my instinct was usually correct, but it has 
been helpful to know the scientific principles. 

I have found charts and maps to be invaluable, 
not only for information, but for creating interest 

54 


Until the Lesson Gets the Teacher 55 

in the study of the Bible. During this year’s 
study of Israel and Judah we have used Bying- 
ton’s Chart of Jewish National History, several 
girls asking permission to take it home for study. 
We also used maps of Judah and Israel, and one 
of the Roman Empire. I try to have the geog¬ 
raphy very clear in my own mind, so as to spend 
very little time on it; it is a point of interest of 
course, but not the point of interest. 

Studying, as I do, for a class of girls, I have 
not found it amiss to study the dictionary. I am 
quite sure it has been one of the seemingly small 
things which has gained for me the respect of a 
class of high school girls, college girls and 
teachers; the fact that when the necessity pre¬ 
sents itself I can give the various shades of mean¬ 
ing, the distinction with the difference. I have 
found it invaluable to read with great regard to 
inflection and emphasis. I have read and reread, 
and read again and again, some lessons, or verses, 
or parts of verses, getting all I could out of them, 
putting all I could into them, and then reading to 
the girls without any comment and leaving it' 
with them with a prayer that the Holy Spirit 
would use his power to convince and convert. 

I have been obliged to study higher criticism, 
because my girls were under the influence of pro¬ 
fessors of that type, and I have had to know how 
to meet it for them. I have had to study to know 


56 


Preparing the Lesson 


how to help them to be able to give a reason for 
the faith and hope that was in them, or would be 
in them if it were not destroyed by ungodly men. 

As to the application of the lesson, it depends 
upon the lesson itself and I often find my best 
plan is to drive the lesson home with the prayer 
that the Holy Spirit will get in his good work 
and each girl make the application needed in her 
own case. 


X 


SECURING CLASS PREPARATION 
By Ruth Clark 

A young professor of anatomy was asked how 
he was getting along with his teaching. 4 ‘Very 
well/’ he replied; “I manage to keep one hone 
ahead of my class.’’ And so I try to keep at 
least one lesson ahead to properly assign the next 
lesson. A wise teacher gets a bird’s-eye view of 
the quarter, or better, of the year, in order to 
have a definite aim in teaching. Otherwise each 
lesson is a unit to itself with no idea of its rela¬ 
tion to the whole, and my students may have a 
vague disconnected conception of the wonderful 
plan of salvation as revealed in God’s Word. 

In planning my lesson, the first thing to con¬ 
sider is the assignment . That has to be given a 
week in advance. Some problem is to be given, 
some parts of the lesson to certain members of 
the class that they may work out, something that 
will arouse their interest to effort or will drive 
them to the study of the lesson. It dampens my 
ardor to have pupils come with no preparation. 

57 


58 


Preparing the Lesson 


I try to find some week-day activity for my assign¬ 
ment along with my problem. I plan a committee 
to look into certain questions and appoint one 
that can be depended upon. 

Spiritual Preparation —In preparing the les¬ 
son it is easy, when time is limited, to leave out 
the most important part and flee to the 4 ‘Helps.’’ 
I find that my class and I suffer alike if I do not 
prepare myself spiritually. I must be in the right 
attitude toward the Heavenly Father, toward my 
work and my pupils. I must know there is 
nothing between him and myself. There must be 
no sin in my life to separate me from the love of 
God. I want to realize that I am a co-worker 
with Christ. I want to know the wonder of it— 
that it is a high calling that I am to be a helper 
in the salvation or development of a soul. Each 
one is precious in his sight. 

I turn to passages in the Word that give me 
this conception. It is his Word and his work. I 
familiarize myself with his wonderful promises 
and pray that they may be realized in my own 
heart and life. There is no room for discourage¬ 
ment now. 

The Study of the Text —I read over the text 
three times, praying that the Spirit may speak 
to my own heart through the Word that I may 
know myself. I cannot expect to teach truths 
that I haven’t applied to my own heart and life. 


Securing Class Preparation 


59 


I cannot give out any more than I have. I read 
the text to get it as a whole, then I go over it, 
again dividing it up and finding out what each 
verse speaks to me. By the third time I have 
digested it. There has been a lesson for me to 
learn and I am prepared to prayerfully plan my 
lesson. I have prayed over it. Now I must pore 
over it. 

Helps —I read all the safe helps I can find to 
throw light on the text, as I wish to rightly divide 
the Word of truth. I use the Authorized, Revised 
and Scofield editions of the Bible with their refer¬ 
ences and notes, a Bible dictionary, my own les¬ 
son helps by my church, and The Sunday School 
Times. As I read these over I mark the striking 
comments and illustrations, the explanation of 
difficult passages, the historical setting—the most 
attractive outline. I read lesson plans. I may 
not be able to adopt them, but I may adapt them 
to my class. 

So I go through various steps. I carry around 
with me my written plan. During the spare mo¬ 
ments at home, on the corner waiting for the car, 
I familiarize myself with it. There must be no 
hesitancy or uncertainty of statements in the 
classroom. I must have everything at my 
tongue’s end. There will have to be some ‘ 4 boil¬ 
ing down” for the short lesson period. 

Material Beady —My preparation has not 


60 


Preparing the Lesson 


ended here. I go to Sunday-school a half hour 
before time to see that everything is in order. 
I place my lesson materials where I can lay my 
hands on them. The blackboard, chalk and eraser 
are at my command. Nothing is to be looked for 
during the Sunday-school hour. I may have a 
committee to help me in this work, but I am there 
to oversee and guide. 


XI 


IN THE QUIET OF EARLY MORNING 
By Mattie H. Leake 

My helps, besides a Scofield Reference Bible, 
are The Sunday School Times, The Moody Bible 
Institute Monthly, and Serving and Waiting. 
These three publications contain the International 
Sunday-school lessons. 

I rise at four or five o’clock on Sunday morning 
while all around me is still and I am entirely 
alone. 

After spending a few minutes refreshing my¬ 
self, I kneel down and pray for help. 

If the lesson seems vague and difficult I tell 
the Lord so in language I should use to a friend 
of whom I was asking help, and make plain 
wherein the difficulties lie. 

Sometimes a lesson is so full and rich that I 
am at a loss what to omit. This also I bring to 
the Lord and ask for direction. 

A Sunday-school lesson is not worth my time 
and effort unless it advances us in grace or knowl¬ 
edge, or both, and so I present my class before 

61 


62 


Preparing the Lesson 


the Lord as subjects of his love, and whose needs 
are known only to him. I pray to him for cleans¬ 
ing that he may fill me with his Spirit for that 
particular lesson and thus enable me to teach that 
which he desires for my class (women from thirty 
to forty years of age). 

My first step after this is to read carefully 
Howard A. Banks and the Rev. W. H. Griffith 
Thomas in The Sunday School Times, P. B. Fitz- 
water in The Moody Monthly, and William L. 
Pettingill in Serving and Waiting. 

As I read these I mark with a pencil everything 
that is new and helpful preparatory to my final 
preparation, when I reach the lesson itself. 

This reading and pencil marking I do thought¬ 
fully and but once, and follow it up with a close 
reading of the lesson with context for the first 
time, observing, as I do so, the pencil markings 
I have mentioned. (I wish to say here that the 
excellent treatments mentioned so illuminate my 
course of study when I take up the lesson in de¬ 
tail that I have always received more on the les¬ 
son than I can condense within the time allotted 
to teach it, and I leave my class later with left¬ 
overs for another time—and this has been the case 
especially with those lessons referred to before 
which were at first vague and difficult.) 

With my Bible open to the lesson, and with 
these helps spread before me, and with a few 


In the Quiet of Early Morning 63 

small leaves of paper upon which to make my 
notes for references, I proceed to prepare my 
lesson for teaching. 

My first step is an introduction, which consists 
in correlating the lesson with the previous one, 
important references to the leading personages in 
the lesson, mention of significant features, and 
locations with use of a map or blackboard, worth¬ 
while information concerning the writer of the 
book in which the lesson is given and his relation 
to the lesson theme and to the people. Two 
minutes are required to deliver the introduction. 

My second outline is the setting of the lesson 
and consists of the events or circumstances that 
occasion it, the time and place, and the acting 
person or persons concerned. One minute is 
sufficient for this. 

Now I take the lesson just as the members of 
the class are supposed to have it before them and 
begin a verse-by-verse study of it, jotting down 
carefully from my pencil markings in The Sun¬ 
day School Times and the Moody Monthly and 
Serving and Waiting everything that is new and 
that helps in the interest of the subject. To these 
I add also narratives, incidents, or anything that 
chances to my mind that may contribute to the 
lesson. 

I number each verse in my notes and make it 
a separate paragraph of itself. To this para- 


64 


Pkeparing the Lesson 


graph I note down all helps on that verse which 
I have marked in the above publications. Thus 
I continue through, verse by verse, until the lesson 
is done. 

And so, with a copy of the lesson and my notes 
in my hands, when I come into the presence of 
my class there is no confusion and no time wasted. 
I keep with the class and they keep with me. 

In my preparation of the lesson in detail I con¬ 
stantly have need for Scripture references. At 
the point in my notes (and the lesson) where 
such references are needed I indicate on my notes 
the book, chapter and verse thus: (1) John 3:2. 
On a slip of paper I write the same thing and 
hand it to some member of my class, who at once 
finds the verse and puts the slip at the place in 
such a way that she may instantly open to it. 
When I call for that number (1) to be read she 
reads it and no time is lost. Any number of 
references may be used in this way with good 
effect. It adds interest. When a Scripture refer¬ 
ence is read in the presence of the class by a mem¬ 
ber of the class it has greater weight than if 
simply quoted by the teacher. 

Not infrequently I gather current events 
through the week, which I file and which help by 
way of illustrations. 

I also make use of narratives, instances and 
experiences which I have read and heard. If I 


In the Quiet of Early Morning 65 

fail to remember these I can sometimes bring an 
illustration from my own small storehouse. 

The Golden Text is always good. Sometimes 
it seems to stand by itself. Then I treat it by 
itself, bringing other Scripture to bear upon it. 
Again, its place precedes the lesson and I take it 
first. Usually it fits into some particular verse 
or some set place which, of course, determines its 
relation in the lesson. 

Finally I go thoughtfully through the whole 
lesson from first to last in search for the lessons 
and comfort and warnings to be found; and I en¬ 
deavor to emphasize those which will lead the 
class to discover and appropriate to themselves 
benefits to be derived. 

These questions and suggestions I write down 
and present in such a way as to induce the class 
to do the talking. 

My notes consist of only short sentences or 
phrases or words. They are only reminders, but 
they are carefully selected. 

My preparation for teaching is now finished. 

It is eight o’clock and I have an hour left. 


XII 


KNOWING MOKE THAN MAY BE NEEDED 
By A. Louise Ebeksbach 

Preparation for teaching the lesson begins 
years before the teacher stands before a class. 
Her preparation lies fundamentally in her experi¬ 
ence of God. Has she experienced some of the 
self-sacrifice so common in the lives of those char¬ 
acters of the Bible about whom she is teaching? 
Has she experienced the power of prayer which 
made strong the courage of the apostles? Does 
she find in God the strength to be fearless, the 
courage to speak truth, a solace in sorrow, a 
fortress in discouragement and temptation? If 
she does not have such an experience she cannot 
hope to make real to others the lives of the heroic 
men and women of the Bible whose lives are a 
testimony of God’s infinite power. 

If this basic preparation exists, then the details 
of preparation will be easily taken care of. 

I find it desirable at the very beginning of the 
week to read carefully and thoughtfully the text 
of the lesson for the next Sunday. I have it in 


66 


Knowing More Than May Be Needed 67 

mind for the rest of the week. I can choose from 
daily experiences, from my reading, or from a 
speaker, thoughts appropriate to the lesson and 
which help to make the lesson clear and real. I 
am often surprised how many helpful thoughts 
I find this way. 

Later in the week I take time to read a number 
of chapters in the same book, preceding and fol¬ 
lowing the lesson text. If I can find the time I 
read the entire book in which the lesson appears. 
A fragment from any book, I find, does not contain 
the meaning which comes from reading the entire 
book. "With the lesson set in the place where it 
belongs we can estimate its importance and we 
get a meaning which would have remained hidden 
did we not know the circumstances leading up to 
it and the results following. 

If the lesson deals with some certain, character* 
I like to read the entire biography of that person 
in all the books where a record of him appears. 
After that I try to read something he has written, 
if he is a writer. We find the proof of Solomon’s 
wisdom in his proverbs more than in the record 
of his life. In the same way St. Paul becomes 
a living person because- we can read the letters 
he has written. 

After this thorough Bible reading I turn to 
other books for help, but this reading always 
comes first. 


68 


Preparing the Lesson 


In using other books I refer, first, to one which 
gives general information concerning the book in 
which the lesson appears. I try to find such facts 
as the following: when the book was written, un¬ 
der what circumstances, by whom, and for what 
purpose. I next try to learn something about the 
author. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John read like 
new books to me since I know something about 
the life and characteristics of these men. This 
information can be had from any good Bible dic¬ 
tionary or commentary. I find the Encyclopedia 
Britannica valuable for a scholarly and ex¬ 
haustive treatment of these subjects. 

I like to turn to the works of the Hebrew his¬ 
torian, Josephus, for his account of the events 
which appear in the lesson text. His account, is 
essentially the same as that found in the Bible, 
but often his wording is so different that I find 
his account illuminating. 

I prepare the lesson exposition in this manner. 
I strive to give real information in this exposition 
and to throw such light on the portion of the 
Scripture studied from Sunday to Sunday that 
the Sunday-school scholar, may come to read his 
Bible with new meaning and delight. 

This exposition I follow by a selection of teach¬ 
ing points from the lesson. I choose only two 
or three points out of a single lesson. More than 
this number serve only to confuse the mind of 


Knowing More Than May Be Needed 69 

the scholar. These big points I emphasize by 
illustrations. These can be gathered from a large 
number of sources: one’s own experiences; stories 
told by friends; illustrations from great Bible 
characters other than the one being studied; illus¬ 
trations from the life of Christ; from Nature; and 
from observation of children. I also use the biog¬ 
raphies of men and women, particularly the 
biographies of great Christian characters. I also 
use stories from the Great War and stories of 
faith and self-sacrifice from mission lands. 

I sometimes use a good story at the beginning 
of the lesson to gain the attention of the class. 
This I sometimes vary by use of a question or 
questions which the members of the class can 
answer in unison. For example: in studying Dan¬ 
iel’s interpretation of the dream of King Nebu¬ 
chadnezzar, I asked the class what they all 
thought about when Daniel was mentioned. 
Everyone answered, “Daniel in the lions’ den.” 
I then told them the story in the lesson was one 
less frequently told than the one about Daniel in 
the lions’ den. I found they listened attentively 
to this less common story about Daniel. Some¬ 
times I use an appropriate picture to gain atten¬ 
tion. Sometimes I use the lesson cartoon clipped 
from The Sunday School Times. 

I find if the teacher is prepared to give illumi¬ 
nating information about the lesson the class is 


70 


Preparing the Lesson 


eager enough for Biblical knowledge to make un¬ 
necessary the question “how to hold attention.” 

The big teaching points which I have already 
mentioned and which I amplify with illustrations 
I drive home by application to world, national, 
community, church, or individual problems. Here 
is where I find the help of the class valuable. I 
try to be prepared to make my own applications, 
but I also give the class the opportunity to make 
applications. I find very often these are more 
practical and worth-while than my own. If the 
application made by the class is too general or 
left hanging in air, I try to supply the “driving 
home” force. It is here that I find one’s experi¬ 
ence of God must be used. The only “driving 
home” force I know anything about is a personal 
experience of God’s power in one’s life. 

If time for questions is given, I find that the 
extensive detailed preparation outlined here 
usually gives me the necessary information. 

I always like to be prepared to close the lesson 
with some particularly inspiring thought. I may 
use a story, a parable or passage from the teach¬ 
ing of Jesus, a beautiful poem, or a prayer. 

After I have made all possible preparation 
from other sources I turn last of all to my Sunday 
School Times. I read all it has to say about the 
lesson. There I find reiterated, and therefore 
emphasized, some of the information I have gotten 


Knowing More Than May Be Needed 71 


from other sources. I also find there material I 
have not found elsewhere. I find illustrations to 
add to those I already have, or to substitute for 
some not so good. I depend on this reading of 
the Times for confidence in teaching the lesson. 

I always prepare notes to use in my teaching. 
These I hold inside my Bible and refer to only 
when absolutely necessary. I try to make my 
preparation so thorough that I need not hesitate 
for the next thought. I try also to have at hand 
more material than I will use. I have known the 
force of teaching to be lost because the teacher 
did not know her subject well enough to proceed 
without hesitation or stumbling and because she 
did not have enough material to fill the entire 
lesson period. 

These are the mechanics of preparation to teach 
the lesson. The life of the teaching depends upon 
the praying the teacher does before she comes be¬ 
fore her class. I always pray that my heart may 
be open to receive a message which I can give, 
then I go on, for I know God will take care of 
the rest. 


XIII 


BODILY FITNESS FOR THE WORK 
By Lewis Keast 

There is the preparation of the body that has 
a direct bearing on onr' preparation of the lesson. 
Saturday evening I call my own. If possible, I 
keep all special engagements away. To be fit on 
Sunday I begin on Saturday—more truly I would 
say on Monday morning. A good teacher needs 
a sound body. Good health is an invaluable asset 
in teaching. 

I give some attention to my person. It does 
not mean that we are vain because we are clean. 
To gain and hold the respect of my class I find it 
necessary to wear a clean collar and keep my tie 
straight. These may seem minor matters, but 
they do matter. 

The thought concerning physical preparation 
leads me to speak of my mental preparation, for 
aside from the special preparation and study of 
the lesson there is a very definite preparation of 
the mind. I try not to be hurried in my work, 
and I find this helps the mind exceedingly. Men- 


72 


Bodily Fitness for the Work 


73 


tal processes take time and the study of the Sun¬ 
day-school lesson is no exception. I find it helps 
not only to retire at a reasonable hour on Satur¬ 
day evening, but to arise in good time on Sunday 
morning. After an earnest season of prayer I 
review my notes on Sunday morning. 

I have found it to be of considerable advantage 
to be in class a few minutes before the opening 
of the school. Through these moments of social 
intercourse I discover what the class is think¬ 
ing about. Oftentimes I find an open door into 
their hearts by connecting up with the things that 
are uppermost in their minds. This little 
social period is one of the final periods of my 
preparation. 


XIV 


LIVING WITH THE LESSON ALL THE 

WEEK 

By Mrs. F. N. Coward 

There was only one way for me to do if I were 
to teach a proper lesson to an adult class, the 
majority of the members of which were students 
at the Normal College. 

My life was so full, housekeeping and home¬ 
making for three grown children and three or four 
boarders, that at first I thought I could not do it, 
but—dare I refuse? So, as I said, there was only 
one thing to do, and that was to just live with the 
lesson from Monday to Sunday. To do this the 
Daily Bible Readings are a help, and at family 
prayers on Monday I could get my first thoughts 
on the Bible verses, and later look up the Golden 
Text and try to grasp the main message of the 
passage. I use a Scofield Reference Bible, and 
probably there would be notes and references to 
study, until the whole context of the passage 
would be clear to me. 

As soon as I started the course I prepared a 


74 


Living with the Lesson All the Week 75 

large map, and some weeks there would be new 
names to enter. 

On Tuesday or Wednesday I would start to 
read the lesson helps of The Sunday School 
Times; not just the adult lesson by any means. 
There are good points in every section, down to 
the Primary Lesson and “Little Jetts,” that can 
be turned to account in framing an outline. As I 
read I marked with a pencil in case the end of 
the week should prove especially busy, and it be 
necessary to save time in rereading. 

(Just here I should like to add my word of 
thanks for such really splendid lesson helps* for 
busy people. Certainly the helps in The Sunday 
School Times go far to prove that the Interna¬ 
tional Lesson series can be adapted to all ages.) 

Nearly every week there have been other ar¬ 
ticles in the paper giving light on the lesson 
topics, either from a historical or prophetical 
standpoint, and usually what should be of great 
interest to an adult class; of course I studied 
those. I also have a Teachers’ Monthly from the 
Sunday-school, and read through the lesson in it, 
and in the “Wesleyan.” I took care also to read 
the Adult Class Monthly so that I could draw the 
attention of the class to anything special that I 
felt they should note. 

Fortunately I am a quick reader, for indeed I 
have little time, but it is wonderful how one is 


76 


Preparing the Lesson 


helped out. So often one will come across illus¬ 
trations suitable for the lesson in unexpected 
quarters. The Children’s Newspaper (Arthur 
Mee, London) has often helped me with one or 
more, and even our own small News will now and 
then furnish a point. The great thing is to have 
the lesson in your mind all the time. The' Bible 
itself often furnishes the best illustrations. Types 
of character, scenes, and incidents in one part of 
the Book illustrate something of the same nature 
in another part, while in the last series of lessons, 
of falling thrones, sieges and famines, and their 
causes, one has only to turn to up-to-date history. 

The lesson story should have a very real and 
vivid portrayal even in adult classes. No class 
is ever too “adult” to enjoy a story, and then, 
these are days of Bible ignorance, and it does 
not do to take it for granted that your class is 
familiar with the story for the day. (I should 
rather like to know how many “adult” teachers 
found their class familiar with the really tine 
story of Ebed-melech, the man of the black skin, 
but the white heart.) 

Yes, the story must be real and living! To so 
many the Bible is not even as real as a school 
history. Bid Jeremiah really live? Was he ever 
a baby, and then a boy, and then a man? How 
old was he when he began to find out that fear 
can give us worse pain than the thing we fear? 


Living with the Lesson All the Week 77 

How many of our brave soldiers had to conquer 
sheer physical fear? Some of the very bravest 
and the doers of the bravest deeds. Yes! well! 
but—Jeremiah? Anyway, I myself have to ac¬ 
knowledge that with this series of lessons and 
lesson helps Jeremiah is a far more living char¬ 
acter to me. 

Dr. Adolph Saphir’s book, “Christ and Israel,’’ 
has helped in the forward look of some lessons. 
“The Old and New are one.” The whole Old 
Testament, the guarantee of the mission to the 
heathen, says, “the idols shall be utterly 
destroyed.” “The New Testament, the book of 
the church based upon the old, breathes the prom¬ 
ises of the old, and says all Israel shall be saved.” 
When Mrs. Askew put at the head of her lesson 
to girls, in The Sunday School Times, “End of 
Judah’s history as a free nation; end of Jeru¬ 
salem’s glory; end of David’s line of kings; end 
of Solomon’s glorious temple—but not the end of 
God’s love and care,” it linked up at once for an 
adult class the study of the remnant as given in 
the Scofield Bible notes, and the remembrance of 
some three hundred converted Jews who are at 
the present day ministers of Protestant churches. 

In the paragraph announcing this competition 
on “How I Prepare,”' it adds, “securing of inter¬ 
est at the start, and driving home the applica¬ 
tion.” This seems to me to be more in connec- 


78 


Preparing the Lesson 


tion with the next subject, “How I Teach the 
Lesson.’’ However, I may say that in my class 
we started with a very brief reference or resume 
of the previous Sunday’s lesson, given by one 
of the members. Then if a period of history was 
omitted between the two lessons- this was bridged 
over briefly by another member. We then started 
in on the lesson verses for the day, taking them 
up one at a time. 

Sometimes I built on the Golden Text as foun¬ 
dation, as for example, “Whatsoever a man sow- 
eth, that shall he also reap.” Other times it 
seemed to lend itself best as application, such as 
Isaiah’s response, “Here am I, send me.” 

Having gathered all the material I could in the 
little time at my disposal through the week, on 
Saturday evening I wrote an outline, in ink, on a 
piece of paper that would lie on the page of my 
Bible. I knew the lesson, and only brief notes 
were necessary. But they helped to keep me from 
missing a strong point and from rambling on to 
side lines. I have used the word “gathered” in 
speaking of lesson material, and this is a true 
description. I often think of the old story of 
gathering the manna—“they that gathered little 
had no lack, and they that gathered much had 
nothing over. ’ ’ The dear Lord acts that way still 
with some of us who have so few spare minutes, 
but who long to serve him. 


Living with the Lesson All the Week 79 


Have I said all! If I had I might have pre¬ 
pared a good history lesson. But I did not want 
to teach history; I wanted to teach spiritual 
truths, truths that were life-giving and character¬ 
building. I needed more than material. “If any 
of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, who giveth 
to all men liberally and upbraideth not.” We 
speak not in words that man’s wisdom teacheth, 
but which the Holy Ghost teacheth—and the 
demonstration—the making plain—of all spiritual 
truth is the work of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is 
the chief factor in the preparation of a Sunday- 
school lesson. 

My “Normals” have dispersed to all parts of 
the province. No one of them told me of any 
blessing that had come to them from the Sunday- 
school classes. But I have sown some seed and 
the seed is “the word of God,” and when that 
Word goes forth it will accomplish that which 
God pleases, and prosper in the thing whereto he 
sends it. 



XV 


LOOKING AHEAD AND ABOUND 
By William J. Hart, D. D. 

A lesson cannot be successfully taught without 
adequate preparation for the particular lesson of 
that date. Training, experience and vocation 
cannot be substituted for careful preparation. 
The Sunday-school teacher who does his full duty 
must be diligent in preparing to meet his class 
from week to week. 

1. The far view —It is a good thing to look 
ahead as far as possible and thus see what is com¬ 
ing. In this way one’s mind will be gradually 
prepared for the several subjects to be discussed, 
and the available material coming under observa¬ 
tion can be preserved for use when the date of 
the lesson arrives to which this is related. It is 
a good thing to know the cycle of years planned 
by the International Sunday School Lesson Com¬ 
mittee, the groupings of the subjects for the sev¬ 
eral years, and the three-month periods into 
which each year is divided. All this can be 
learned from the year’s “Lesson Calendar,” pub- 

80 


Looking Ahead and Around 


81 


lished by The Sunday School Times Company. 
This I purchase each year and keep conveniently 
near for consultation. 

2. The reading of the text of the lesson—From 
week to week I read the printed portions as¬ 
signed, and then I read the additional passages 
of the lesson, which, though designated, are not 
printed in any of the ‘ 4 helps.’’ Also I plan to 
read the connecting passages and other suggested 
portions of the Bible. For this purpose, of 
course, I read the Bible—usually the American 
Standard Version. Then, in addition to the 
Authorized Version, I use any other versions 
which may be available. 

It is of great value, I find, to have a little 
volume containing the printed text of the lessons 
for the year. This I keep in my pocket and take 
it with me if I am traveling on the train or am 
going away from home. Such a volume can be 
consulted in odd moments, at home or elsewhere, 
and helps to keep the lesson in mind. For this 
purpose one may find several little volumes, pre¬ 
pared by different authors, usually published in 
the autumn for the coming year, and selling for 
sums ranging from twenty-five to fifty cents. 

3. The consultation of commentaries and boohs 
related to the lesson—Having read the lesson, 
perhaps several times, and possibly the whole of 
the particular book of the Bible from which it is 


82 


Preparing the Lesson 


taken, and having looked up some passages to 
which reference is made and other corresponding 
passages, I use whatever commentaries I can find 
in my library. Bible dictionaries and works on 
introduction I also consult. If I happen to be 
living where there is a good library I sometimes 
go to the library the latter part of the week and 
run through anything I can locate there. (The 
public library of the city of Utica, New York, 
which is especially well equipped for the Sunday- 
school teacher’s work, groups the books conveni¬ 
ently and places the periodicals related to Sun¬ 
day-school lessons and teaching within easy 
reach; and also affords a quiet place for study 
with chairs, desks and other inviting features for 
making notes.) 

4. Reading the notes in 'publications on the 
Sunday-school lesson—Every teacher should con¬ 
sult the publications of his own denomination. 
This I naturally do. The Sunday School Times is 
an old friend, as I began to subscribe for it when 
I was a theological student in New Jersey more 
than a quarter of a century ago, and have taken' 
it continuously from that time. The products of 
some other publishing houses are also very illu¬ 
minating. The brief, concise notes found in re¬ 
ligious publications I find quite valuable, though 
these are not sufficient of themselves for the de¬ 
tailed explanation of the lesson. 


XVI 


TEACHING AS A LIFE-AND-DEaTH 

MATTER 

By T. T. Martin 

I begin the preparation of the lesson Sunday 
afternoon for the following Sunday, that I may 
have time to make careful preparation, and that 
I may have time during the week to meditate on 
the lesson and gather added material to use in 
teaching it. 

My plan has been, first, to bring myself to 
realize that what I am going to study is really 
God’s Word, a real message from God to man, a 
real revelation from God, authenticated by hun¬ 
dreds of fulfilled prophecies; that I am going to 
prepare to teach a real, actual message from God 
to man; that I am to teach this real message from 
God to responsible beings who will spend eternity 
in heaven or in hell; that by faithful teaching I 
may lead those whom I shall teach who are lost, 
who have not received the Saviour as their Re¬ 
deemer who gave himself for us that he might 
redeem us from all iniquity (Titus 2:13, 14), to 


83 


84 


Preparing the Lesson 


be saved, to spend eternity in heaven; and that 
by unfaithful teaching I may leave them to spend 
eternity in hell. 

Second, I then bow in prayer and pray our 
Father in heaven that the Holy Spirit may teach 
me, because the Saviour promised that the Spirit 
would be our teacher. 

I then take a sheet of paper and divide it be¬ 
tween the verses of the lesson, leaving space for 
writing down the lessons learned from each verse. 
I then study the Scripture lesson verse by verse, 
and write down on my sheet of paper, under each 
verse, the lessons learned from that verse. For 
instance, if the lesson were the Twenty-third 
Psalm, I would have on my sheet of paper: 

Verse 1. 1. “Shepherd.” The protection and 
life of the sheep depends on the shepherd, not on 
the sheep. 

2. “The Lord is my shepherd’’—not my 
church, nor my baptism, nor my good life, nor my 
moral character. 

3. “Is”—not “will be when I die,” but here 
and now. “He that believeth on the Son hath 
everlasting life” (John 3:36). 

4. “My”— a personal matter. Is he yours? 

5. “Not want.” —I may not have all I would 
like to have, but c ‘ I shall not want. ’ 9 

6. “Shall not.” —It is absolutely certain. 

7. “I.”—Not people in general, but a personal 


Teaching as a Life-and-Death Matter 85 

matter. Oh, is he yours? Will you let him be? 
Will you accept him as yours here and now? 

All this being true, then from love for such a 
shepherd let us live faithful, true, consecrated 
lives. 

Having studied the Scripture lesson closely, 
and realizing that the Holy Spirit, the Great 
Teacher, can and does teach us through others, I 
then study the lesson helps and the best com¬ 
mentaries, placing on my sheet of paper under 
each verse the lessons learned from that verse 
and the illustrations suited to the lessons drawn 
from the verse. 

I then study my notes to decide which lessons 
shall be given the most emphasis; the lessons 
most needful to the class; the lessons best adapted 
to the class. 

I then go to my books of illustrations to find 
suitable illustrations for the points of special 
emphasis, and write down the “catch words ’ 9 of 
each illustration under proper verse and lesson. 

If there be any connection, Scriptural or other¬ 
wise, between the lesson and the lesson of the 
previous Sunday, as there usually is, I make a 
study of the intervening Scriptures, and prepare 
to give the class a quick review of the previous 
Sunday’s lesson, and a brief outline of the inter¬ 
vening Scriptures, or of any other connection be¬ 
tween the two lessons. 


86 


Pkepaeing the Lesson 


Following this I study to make a practical ap¬ 
plication of the lesson of the day, and study 
specially to make the last two to five minutes of 
the lesson period intensely impressive to the class. 

I then study my notes closely, committing them 
to memory, that I may not have to look on my 
notes during the recitation period and thus detract 
from the lesson. 

Saturday night I eat lightly and retire early, 
that I may get a good night’s sleep that my body 
and mind may be refreshed and be better pre¬ 
pared for the work of teaching the class. 

Sunday morning I eat lightly or not at all that 
the mind may be free and alert. 

I then go over my notes carefully that I may 
get them well in mind, and again try to decide 
on the point of special emphasis. 

Then, before going to my class, I pray that the 
Holy Spirit may fill me and guide me in the teach¬ 
ing of the lesson; guide me as to what I should 
teach and the way in which I should teach it; and 
that he will open the hearts of the class to receive 
the lessons, and will impress the lessons on their 
minds and lives. 


xvn 


USING A HOME-MADE SCRIPTURE INDEX 
By the Rev. J. S. Robinson 

As with preaching, so with teaching, the first 
and last thing to do in preparation is to pray. 
But with this fact understood I proceed with the 
plan of outward preparation of the lesson. 

Beginning early in the week, the first thing I 
do is to read the lesson passage with the connec¬ 
tion, including the entire story. This may mean 
also to review and enlarge upon my knowledge of 
the book from which the lesson is taken. At the 
beginning of the quarter this preliminary survey 
includes a study comprehensive enough to give 
a clear sweep of the entire quarter’s lessons, or 
the lessons of two or more quarters, if the lessons 
happen to cover that much time. There may 
be a particular section of history covered in a 
given time, as, for example, in the present quar¬ 
ter, when the exile and the restoration is to be 
kept in view as a distinct integral part of history. 
Nothing will quite take the place of getting hold 
of a lesson in this larger general sense. 


87 


88 


Preparing the Lesson 


The question-lecture method of teaching is the 
one I have in mind while preparing the lesson. 
I use three kinds of questions: Those that have 
to do with the everyday life of the pupils, and so 
calculated to arouse interest; those that pertain 
to the lesson in hand, and calculated to elicit and 
impart information about the present passage of 
Scripture; and those that are personal, calculated 
to cause the pupil to do his own thinking and to 
make his own applications of the truth. 

The Sunday School Times is my main help, it 
having been my pleasure to use the paper for 
more than a decade. After the preliminary work 
described above I begin with the Times by read¬ 
ing the “ Lesson Pilot,” checking with a pencil 
in the margin anything to which I may wish to 
revert. “Our Background Material” furnishes 
me with further information of a preliminary 
nature. Then I note carefully the black-faced 
reference figures referring to the various lesson 
articles and follow them out as I go along. For 
instance, a reference is sure to be made to Dr. 
Griffith Thomas’ exposition. In this way I gather 
such facts as the time, geographical features, cus¬ 
toms and persons mentioned, and with pencil and 
paper in hand I note all pertinent matter which 
I cannot easily check on the paper. Coming to 
“The Truth That Is Golden,” I look for the main 
truth of the lesson and fix it by one or more suit- 


Using a Home-Made Scripture Index 89 


able questions or notations, checking them for the 
time being or recording them in my own words 
in the manuscript. “The Teaching Points’’ 
usually yield one or more truths to which special 
emphasis should be given. From the “Questions 
for Study and Further Discussion” and Dr. 
Griffith Thomas’ “Leading Questions” I am 
usually able to select one or more questions ver¬ 
batim, or to reword one or more of them to suit 
myself. 

After the articles have been read in this way I 
often read some of them again in whole or in part, 
such as Dr. Alexander Smellie’s unique and 
illuminating expositions, or Philip E. Howard’s 
“From the Platform.” Miss Homer-Dixon’s 
short but pointed comments always carry convic¬ 
tion, while “Ridgway” may be depended upon to 
set the lesson in the light of everyday life. The 
“Illustration Round-Table” is invaluable for its 
contribution of anecdote, and the several illus¬ 
trations receive attention and one or more of 
them usually find a place in my manuscript for 
use in pointing the different truths. 

All parallel and opposite passages of Scripture 
are noted and brought into use in the right con¬ 
nection. A good reference Bible is necessary in 
finding such passages. The Scofield Reference 
Bible also serves a great purpose, especially the 
definitions given on summary pages. 


90 


Pkeparing the Lesson 


Listed books and illustrations that have been 
filed in my Wilson Index and elsewhere are con¬ 
sulted for pertinent matter. But my largest 
source of material in this line is found in the 
Sunday School Times files, which have been 
bound into annual volumes in the binders fur¬ 
nished by The Sunday School Times Company. 
I have these volumes dating back for eight years, 
with some exceptions of lost copies. Not only do 
I find the Topical Index helpful, but I use my own 
devised Scriptural Index to The Sunday School 
Times, which is an addition and quite distinct de¬ 
vice from the Topical Index. It interferes in no 
way with the use of the Topical Index. Each 
passage of Scripture that has been used for the 
past eight years (barring the passages in the few 
copies of the paper that have been lost) is 
recorded in the index in the order of the books of 
the Bible, and each passage followed by the date 
it was used. This index is recorded in a loose- 
leaf book four and three-quarters by seven and 
one-half inches. With this Scriptural index close 
at hand I ascertain whether or not there is an old 
lesson on the passage of Scripture used in the 
current lesson, and thus I find the passage, or 
find that it is not available, and that without 
handling the cumbrous volume. There is an ad¬ 
vantage, too, in recording the index on loose 
leaves, for at the end of each six months, or at 


Using a Home-Made Scripture Index 91 


the least at the end of each year, I want to bring 
the Scriptural Index up to date; and with the 
loose-leaf system only one or two leaves will re¬ 
quire writing over. This can be done with the 
minimum amount of labor. Seventeen loose 
leaves typewritten on one side accommodate the 
index at present. 

With this index at hand I am able to consult 
any past lesson help contained in the volume. 
Thus I am enabled to compare the present and 
past writings of those members of the Times 
family who have continued to write through the 
years. Likewise some of those who have ceased 
to write have left valuable contributions to the 
lessons recorded here and which are made avail¬ 
able by this Scriptural Index. 

To give a concrete illustration of the use of the 
index, take the lesson for July 23, 1922, “Daniel 
and the Lions,” Daniel 6:1-28. My index reveals 
the fact that this passage was used September 23, 
1917. In that issue I find additional exposition 
and illustration, and best of all it was checked 
and underscored by me when I studied the lesson 
at that time. So that memory the more quickly 
gathers the facts and truths noted there and mar¬ 
shals them for present use. 

Having gathered and amassed my material as 
outlined above, I now proceed to arrange and 
shape it for my present purpose. I believe that 


92 


Preparing the Lesson 


out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speak- 
eth, and so from the abundant material that has 
been gathered I purpose to select that which will 
best serve the ends in view, while preparing to 
speak from a fulness of heart and with confidence 
that comes from having mastered the subject. 

In selecting this material I shall of course have 
the main truth in mind; that is, how best to lead 
up to the main truth. I now arrange my ques¬ 
tions and other matter in a climactic order. I 
note the facts and truths which I have checked in 
my reading and weave them into my material. I 
shall take into consideration also wdiat is the best 
means to get and keep the attention. For this I 
shall rely mainly upon the use of questions, for 
while I arrange a regular order I shall do so with 
a view of varying them in class according as the 
occasion might demand. I am thinking of the 
class and how I may draw each of them out and 
thus have him contribute his part of the thinking 
and make his part of the personal application. 

In addition I shall insert illustrations from 
everyday life as well as the ones I find in my 
helps, for this lesson is to meet the needs of the 
members of the class in their everyday life in the 
world. The conversion and upbuilding of the 
spiritual life of the members of the class is the 
ultimate object sought, and all material and 
methods must focus here. 


Using a Home-Made Scripture Index 93 


Thus, with Bible and notes at hand, and with 
a prayer for God’s presence and aid, I look for¬ 
ward with pleasure to meeting the class on Sun¬ 
day, having made the best preparation for teach¬ 
ing the class that time and advantage permit. 


XVIII 


USING LESSON HELPS LAST 
By F. C. Blair 

1 begin early —always a week, usually two 
weeks, and often months ahead. A lesson 
calendar for the year I find very useful, and an 
occasional glance over the program for several 
months helps to fix the various subjects in my 
memory. The mind gathers information on. these 
subjects from reading and meditation as the 
weeks go by. I find an early beginning important 
because it saturates the mind with the Word, 
enables the student to gather the best material 
and saves him from that last-minute preparation 
(which really means no preparation) so often the 
bane of both teacher and taught. 

1 read the lesson text and its. connections until 
they become familiar —I do this carefully and 
prayerfully. I call this “ putting the seed to 
soak.” There is an ever-present temptation to 
neglect both the reading and the prayer. As the 
Word of God is likened to seed, it naturally fol¬ 
lows that the seed must be given time to ger- 

94 


Using Lesson Helps Last 95 

minate. After a careful reading two or three 
times I find myself able to carry it about in my 
mind, during the day and it becomes a source of 
encouragement and enlightenment. There is a 
precious word spoken by the wise man in 
Proverbs 6:22 to young men concerning a father’s 
commandment and a mother’s law. “When thou 
goest it shall lead thee, when thou sleepest it shall 
keep thee, and when thou awakest it shall talk 
with thee. ’ ’ This is wonderfully true of the Word 
of God. 

I keep a notebook —Into this I jot down the 
thoughts that come to me through reading. If 
nothing comes in the first reading I read the les¬ 
son again, and again. I do not use any particular 
order in this notebook. I have on many occasions 
got out of bed and turned on the light to put 
down some- sweet morsel that' arrived in the night 
watches. Into this book I also put scraps of in¬ 
formation from all sources, illustrations, outlines 
and whatever may become useful in the teaching 
of a lesson. I find a cheap loose-leaf notebook the 
best for my purpose. 

1 analyze the lesson text and thus extract the 
honey —My method is varied. I compare two or 
more translations to see if any changes have been 
made which, help to explain difficult or obscure 
words or phrases. I compare Scripture with 
Scripture. I use the question-and-answer method 


96 


Preparing the Lesson 


—I ask the questions and. seek to have Scripture 
supply the answers. I study, the words of Scrip¬ 
ture and their meanings as used in various con¬ 
nections. I find an analytical concordance, such 
as Young’s or Strong’s, indispensable for this 
purpose. The Word of God is living and I dis¬ 
covered years ago that when the mind is saturated 
with the Book, Scriptures relating to the matter 
in hand will be attracted to one’s mind almost 
unconsciously—no doubt this is the work of the 
Holy Spirit in the believer. 

I make an outline of the lesson —This outline 
naturally varies with the character of the lesson 
and the use' made of it. Sometimes the outline 
is a summary of the great teachings of the lesson 
text or a character study. In fact, I use anything 
that will serve- to fix attention on the principal 
features of the- lesson. For example, I gathered 
the teaching of the lesson on “Jeremiah cast into 
prison” under: 

1. The hardships of the Child of God (the mys¬ 
tery of trial, temptations and suffering). 

2. The friendships of the Child of God (the 
mercy of unexpected service seen in the story of 
the black man). 

I make my own outlines, which, while not by 
any means the best that can be made, are the 
best I can do, and I find it develops the homiletic 
faculty and makes Bible study increasingly inter- 


Using Lesson Helps Last 


97 


esting and profitable. An outline to me is wliat 
design is to an architect: it not only preserves 
unity, aids thought, and saves one from wander¬ 
ing in class work, but also allows the results of 
lesson study to be preserved for later reference 
or other service. I cannot too strongly emphasize 
the benefits of this feature of lesson preparation. 

I pray again —This time that my eyes may be 
opened to see and my heart made to understand 
what God has for me in the lesson. I am sure 
the teacher cannot help or lead his class one step 
beyond his own personal experience. A prepared 
teacher is quite as important' as a prepared les¬ 
son. Since Scripture is “God breathed” (2 Pet. 
1:21) it is essential that the student shall be 
Spirit-taught. Indeed, I find that any real prep¬ 
aration of the lesson involves the preparation of 
the heart as well as the mind, bringing the student 
into sympathy with the Word of God and making 
his life tell the same story as his lips. What has 
been made a blessing in my own life readily be¬ 
comes a blessing to my class. Difficulties often 
become luminous to a yielded life. There is a 
passage in John 7:17 of great import and often 
overlooked: “If any man willeth to do his will 
he shall know of the teaching.” 

1 use Lesson Helps —I use these last—not that I 
know more (or as much) as the writers of Lesson 
Notes, but because independent study, i. e. y study 


98 


Preparing the Lesson 


without helps, develops the student as no other 
method can. David said, “I rejoice at thy Word 
as one that findeth great spoil’’ (Psa. 119:162), 
and Christ himself said, ‘ ‘ Every scribe instructed 
unto the Kingdom of Heaven . . . bringeth 

forth out of his treasure things new and old. ’ 9 If 
we never search we shall never know the joy of 
finding and we shall never have new treasures to 
bring forth. 

I refuse to subscribe for or read Lesson Helps 
which are not loyal and true to the Word of God. 
Helps used before personal and independent 
study become a crutch without which ultimately 
we cannot walk, while Helps used after inde¬ 
pendent study are a staff on the journey. The 
Lesson Helps I use to correct or add to the in¬ 
formation I have already gathered. 

I am always interested to test my results with 
the lessons as taught by such men of God as the 
Rev. W. H. Griffith Thomas or applied by Dr. 
Alexander Smellie. I find that numerous helps 
are confusing as well as a waste of time. One or 
two Sunday-school papers with two or three 
translations, a Scofield Reference Bible, a, con¬ 
cordance, and a modest library of good books fur¬ 
nish an equipment which should enable, any per¬ 
son to become a workman that needeth not to be 
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 


PART II 


I 

HOW I TEACH THE LESSON IN CLASS 
By N. Grace Cooledge 

This article won The Sunday School Times prize of $25 in gold 

When my ten-year-old boys begin to arrive at 
Sunday-school there is. no teacher in sight, for 
the preaching service is still going on upstairs. 
But they find on their table a pile of notebooks 
with owners ’ names, plainly printed on the out¬ 
side, a manila envelope containing pencils and 
crayons, and a large sheet with directions for 
handwork. There is usually a cardboard model 
of a bell, a ladder, a church, or some similar ob¬ 
ject, to* trace around and color. WTien the day’s 
lesson seems barren of suggestions for object 
teaching they may find a couple of easy questions 
to answer in writing, or a suggestion of some¬ 
thing to copy from the lesson leaflet. What with 
getting his own work done, and helping out the 
later arrivals, each boy is busy and orderly until 
the arrival of the teacher, who has a word of 

99 




100 


Teaching the Lesson 


praise or criticism of the work offered for ap¬ 
proval, and who then hands ont the lesson leaflets 
for the eager boys to study until the piano sounds. 
At first this was the signal for a grand scramble 
to see who should lead the line. But now we have 
our regular “height, formation ,’ 9 shortest first, 
which causes the uninitiated to wonder where we 
found so many boys exactly the same size! Be¬ 
sides, we have another reason for getting into 
line quietly. Teacher says that only little kids 
shove their chairs or accidentally upset them. Big 
boys are strong enough to pick them up and set 
them down again without a sound. 

Upon returning to the table, notebooks are 
piled neatly and put away, pencils and. crayons 
are picked up and put into the big envelope, and 
pennies are collected. The boys count breath¬ 
lessly and silently, and the one called upon an¬ 
nounces the amount proudly and with surprising 
exactness. 

Now for our point of contact: With a younger 
class it would often be scissors and a sheet of 
paper, or slate and chalk, and eager eyes watch¬ 
ing to be the first to guess what teacher is going 
to make. But this particular teacher is no artist, 
and too crude results might awaken ridicule in 
boys so ready to find amusement, so she uses 
modeling clay or a jack-knife and a piece of soft 
wood. The fellow who read over his lesson at 


How I Teach the Lesson in Class 101 

home gets his inning now, for he can tell whether 
it is an altar or a scroll or Elijah himself, almost 
before there is a form at all. Sometimes an ap¬ 
propriate Perry picture serves to catch the eye 
and gain attention. 

Maybe teacher can’t draw, but she can tell 
stories with anybody, and when the story is rich 
in action and climax she makes the most of it. 
There is no lack of silence or attention then. If 
interest lags, she abruptly halts, and asks a ques¬ 
tion of the least attentive. At his prompt reply 
she smilingly says, “Oh, excuse me; I thought I 
was going to catch you napping. ’ ’ And the story 
goes on. When it is finished she starts rapid-fire 
questioning—the easiest possible questions with 
the most obvious answers, but covering the entire 
story, and bringing out the lesson teaching. Any 
boy who gets caught must put his head down and 
keep it down until some other fellow fails and 
takes his place. At first this caused discomfort 
and almost tears, but now they realize it is a sort 
of game, and down goes the head promptly with 
a smile. 

If the lesson is a prophet’s message or some 
Psalm, and refuses to be easily put into connected 
form, we read from the leaflet. This can be done 
in a dozen different ways, as any primary day- 
school teacher will tell you. There is only one 
wrong way, and that is for the teacher or some 


102 


Teaching the Lesson 


one pupil to read it entirely through aloud with¬ 
out interruption or comment. If your youngsters 
will listen attentively Sunday after Sunday to 
such reading and not fidget, then I am sure they 
are a very different sort from those we raise in 
Massachusetts. Here are a few successful 
methods: 

1. Class reads silently to a period. Whoever is 
called upon must tell what has been read or put 
his head down and keep it down until some one 
else fails. 

2. Teacher reads aloud, stopping to ask ques¬ 
tions as often as possible and even oftener (?) 
and* trying to catch some fellow who has lost his 
place' and make him put his head down, but some¬ 
how forgetting to look at the little chap whose 
mother has warned you that he has not yet suc¬ 
ceeded in learning to read, but whose ear-gate is 
always open and misses nothing. 

3. Some boy stands and reads until he makes 
a mistake, when the first fellow on his feet may 
take his place. But don’t start this until the 
chairs have been set back a little from the table. 
Also this method is apt to be destructive to a 
comprehension of the subject matter, and should 
only be used to enliven the very barrenest lessons. 

4. My most common method is to have a boy 
read a sentence or two and then myself question 
some other boy, preferably the one sitting 


How I Teach the Lesson in Class 103 

farthest from him, on what has been read. Then 
let some one else read a little farther. 

Lesson finished, we study onr memory verse 
silently and see who will be the first to repeat it 
correctly. We try it first turn and turn about and 
then in concert, for who knows but our class will 
be the very one chosen to repeat it for the school? 
This is the part we omit when pressed for time, 
for it can be made up at home. 

Last of all is our heart-to-heart talk. Perhaps 
I tell them a little tale of a naughty boy in my 
own schoolroom, and of how he got good again, 
or the story of some conversion, or of some little 
lad’s battle with temptation, or some incident 
from the mission field. Often we think of some¬ 
thing we’d’ like to ask God for, and so we bow 
our heads and talk to him, teacher first, and boys 
following with the same words, spoken either by 
turn or in concert. This moment is golden, and 
we begrudge it to any chance visitor or insistent 
messenger who steals it away. 

Now pretend that you are one of these same 
small boys, and let me see whether you have been 
paying attention: 

1. Why do my boys come early, rather than 
late? 

2. How do I keep them quiet before the session 
opens? 

3. Which item in my lesson presentation would 


104 


Teaching the Lesson 


scarcely be possible without home study on my 
part? 

4. What home preparation do I require from 
the boys, and what immediate reward do they 
realize for making such an effort? 

5. How do I gain and hold attention? 

6. Does my class do any memorizing? If so, 
what and when? 

7. Which part of the period would be a com¬ 
plete failure without previous secret prayer on 
my part? 

8. Are there any of these suggestions which 
you couldn’t follow from lack of material or 
training? 

9. If you can’t hold your class silent and eager, 
is it a lack of personal magnetism, or are you out 
of touch with God? 

10. Would you be glad to have your own little 
lad in my class? Why? 


II 


GIVING PRAYER FIRST PLACE 
By Mrs. P. W. Stone 

Eight years ago I was “called” to the “spit- 
ball corner,” made up of boys ranging in age 
from nine to sixteen. This was the only boys’ 
class (barring the Primary) in a Sunday-school 
with an enrolment of approximately four hun¬ 
dred, with about two hundred in attendance. 

With a fresh Christian experience, but without 
a working knowledge of the Bible, I accepted the 
charge, after making it a matter of prayer. There 
were fourteen boys, and my first step was to visit 
the home of each, let the parents know my pur¬ 
pose and secure their co-operation so far as at¬ 
tendance, study of the lesson, and offering were 
concerned. 

Picnics, entertaining in my home, always re¬ 
membering the youngsters at Christmas, visiting 
any and all members of the family in sickness or 
trouble, following up each boy to secure regular 
attendance, and myself being present on time, in¬ 
variably elicited co-operation. 

105 


106 


Teaching the Lesson 


My study of the lesson began Sunday and oc¬ 
cupied some part of each day during the week, 
and it was viewed from every angle, with the 
Bible, denominational lesson helps, and any 
others, including The Sunday School Times, that 
were available. 

Feeling that I had a sacred task and one of the 
biggest I had ever undertaken, these boys and 
their families were special objects of my daily 
prayer. In my eagerness for spiritual equipment 
I availed myself of every service at the church, 
haunted revivals, took in every possible Sunday- 
school convention as well as summer institutes, to 
all of which I am much indebted for inspiration 
and information. I read all I could obtain that 
was suggested as helpful to a Sunday-school 
teacher, and dropped all magazine and most 
secular reading as a result of my awakening, so 
eager was I to use my time to the best purpose 
in fitting myself to be a capable teacher and soul- 
winner. 

I did not always have good attention, even when 
I thought I was best prepared to handle the les¬ 
son, and the thoughtless youngsters have even 
succeeded a few times in bringing me to tears, 
right in their presence, but these failures of mine 
convinced me of deficiency in myself and urged 
to deeper preparation. I was never for a moment 
discouraged or inclined to relinquish my difficult 
but nonetheless loved task. 


Giving Prayer First Place 107 

From time to time during the years the boys 
have been received into the church and hundreds 
have passed through my hands. Many have gone 
beyond my observation. Some I have been able 
to keep in touch with by letter. Numbers are in 
college, while more are in high school and the 
grades, and I have the satisfaction of seeing a 
number active in the choir, the Epworth League, 
and some teaching classes of their own. Yet ever 
the question in my heart is, viewing the numbers 
I have had in comparison with the few I can ob¬ 
serve, “Are my boys saved?” Have I done all 
that I could? Am I really making Christianity a 
practical thing that they may fully appropriate at 
some time in their lives? Am I making a single 
indelible impression as a teacher of vital things? 
Am I sowing the seed in such a way as to be sure 
of the harvest? 

Never have I felt satisfied so far as my own 
effort or efficiency was concerned, even when I 
had my class at Sunday-school, at church service, 
at League, at prayer meeting and all church en¬ 
tertainments. Personality might be responsible 
for all this and Jesus not be a reality to one of 
these boys as his accepted personal Saviour! 

I could only keep them before the Throne of 
Grace and trust God to bring them under the in¬ 
fluence of more capable instructors, where I failed 
in the brief period allotted for instruction. 


108 


Teaching the Lesson 


Always I was looking for the solution of how 
best to use this period for definite and lasting 
results. 

Last fall, my big class of high school boys were 
handed over to a splendid Christian man teacher 
and I fell heir to a group aged nine to twelve. 
For a bit I didn’t know whether I had gone to the 
foot of the class or had been promoted. 

We were eighteen strong! They were new to 
me and I to them and I resolved upon new tactics. 
It had always been my custom to begin the study 
of the lesson with prayer, which I offered myself, 
when there was not too much confusion or too 
frequent interruption. Hence prayer in class was 
many times omitted, though not before. As soon 
as the collection and roll call could be despatched, 
I talked to them about prayer, its meaning, the 
necessity of perfect faith, meeting conditions be¬ 
fore expecting God to honor our petitions ; ex¬ 
plained how we should pray for essentials, illus¬ 
trating and asking them questions; emphasized 
maintaining an attitude of reverence, keeping 
closed eyes. I said: 

“Boys, we are here to study God’s Word. The 
Bible is God’s Word—not about God’s Word. Let 
us all kneel down with our Bibles before us on 
the chairs and thank God for his Word and ask 
him to help us to understand it as we study 
together. How, boys, close your eyes, forget every- 


Giving Prayer First Place 109 

thing and everybody but the Lord and talk to him. 
If yon have done anything wrong, ask his forgive¬ 
ness, praise God for all he is and has done—tell 
him yon want to learn to love and serve him— 
that yon want to grow to be Christian men; that 
yon want him to be with yon to strengthen yon in 
the time of temptation. Ask God to bless yonr 
homes, yonr parents, those who are not Chris¬ 
tians. We are here to learn to talk to God as well 
as to understand him when he talks to ns. We 
are not here to criticize one another. If yon can 
only say a few words yon will be stronger next 
time.’ ’ 

Well, they began—stumbling, awkward little 
prayers they were at first, but to the point and 
no two alike. What one boy didn’t pray for the 
other did. Prayer has consumed the biggest part 
of onr lesson period ever since I took this class. 

We have used no lesson helps other than the 
Bible. I study the lesson as formerly, tell them 
where to find it in their Bibles, and give them 
some verse to memorize. I saw that every boy 
was supplied with his Bible by his parents or 
myself and they are expected to have them in 
class. 

Sometimes we can only touch upon the current 
lesson, usually finding some application of our 
prayer training in our lesson which I develop by 
asking questions, which the boys answer them- 



110 


Teaching the Lesson 


selves. The members of this class will carry a 
definite memory of our prayer service with them 
through the years to come, and will always know 
how to pray and will not be afraid of their own 
voices. 

This has been demonstrated on several occa¬ 
sions at revival meetings, when they have led out 
freely and without embarrassment. They are 
always ready with Scripture verses and I, for the 
first time, feel that I have accomplished some¬ 
thing definite. 

One little illustration showing what prayer 
means to my boys, that faith in prayer has been 
established and dependence upon God for help in 
time of trouble: 

One Saturday night a few weeks since I was 
summoned to the telephone about 8:30. A little 
sobbing voice answered my “ hello. ” 

“This is Jim. Oh, Mrs. S-, my—daddy is 

—so sick—they don’t think he will live. Won’t 
you—please—pray for—for him!” 

I can never tell any one what that broken little 
appeal from that eleven-year-old boy meant to 
me. I did not ask him any questions—he was in 
no condition to answer—nor I to ask. I just an¬ 
swered, “Bless your darling heart, of course I’ll 
pray for your daddy! ’ ’ 

A sobbing “Good-bye,” and there I stood with 
pounding heart and tears flowing unrestrainedly. 



Giving Prayer First Place 


111 


I called tlie leader of our women’s prayer band, 
related the circumstance and asked her to get the 
members to their knees as quickly as possible. 
This she promised to do. 

I went at once to the stricken home. The 
father, who was a prominent physician, had been 
taken to the hospital and operated on a few hours 
before, and was in a very critical condition as the 
result of the removal of an internal growth with 
a suspicion of malignancy. The outlook was very 
grave, they told me, and there was an atmosphere 
of hopelessness. 

No one knew of little Jim’s telephoning. After 
rolling the burden of prayer to his teacher’s heart 
he went to bed and to sleep. 

At Sunday-school the next morning the Super¬ 
intendent called for special prayer for the sick 
man. I learned later he was the subject of prayer 
in all the classes and various organizations of the 
church. When I told my boys of their comrade’s 
distress and his appeal for prayer, you should 
have heard them pray! They not only prayed 
that the father’s life might be spared, but that he 
and the whole family would be drawn closer to 
God. 

And they believed their prayers would be an¬ 
swered, too. During the two weeks that followed 
the doctor’s life seemed to hang in the balance, 
but as a result of his little son’s faith in God and 


112 


Teaching the Lesson 


his pathetic appeal for prayer, the prayer ball 
was set rolling, and my boys and I believe that 
the strength of united prayer was a big factor in 
restoring the father to them, and that in teaching 
the lesson it has been most profitable to give in¬ 
struction in prayer a prominent place. 


Ill 


USING SALESMANSHIP IN TEACHING 
By Brookes B. Tarltox 

For the last three years I have been teaching 
Teen age girls. Previously I had taught boys, 
both small and large, for a good many years. 

My aim in teaching is to get my pupils to decide 
for Jesus Christ, to develop their Christian char¬ 
acter, and to study the Bible, and for us all to 
have a good time in so doing. 

I do not use any written notes or lesson helps 
in teaching and endeavor to have each member 
supplied with a Bible. 

I find that I can get and hold their attention 
much better by looking directly into their eyes. 

I do not follow any set formula or procedure 
in teaching, but believe, rather, by prayer and 
careful preparation, in filling myself so full of 
the subject that I am eager to begin teaching. 

Before starting the actual reading of the lesson 
text and commenting upon it, I try to get the class 
into a receptive mood, interested and curious, if 
possible, to learn what is to follow. 

113 


114 


Teaching the Lesson 


To attain this objective I may briefly review the 
previous lesson or get some of the girls to tell 
the absentees what they learned the previous 
Sunday. For nearly a year I devoted the first 
few minutes of our time to the learning and re¬ 
citing of the books of the Bible and always found 
this an admirable point of contact. Sometimes 
we take the title of the lesson and find out what 
we know about it. For instance, on the lesson, 
“Ezekiel, the Watchman of Israel,” I started by 
asking what they knew about Israel and by ques¬ 
tioning and suggestions we worked back to Abra¬ 
ham. Sometimes we begin at Saul or Moses or 
Abraham and work forward. This helps to give 
the pupils a general outline of Bible history. 

One possible objection to this method is that 
we sometimes get so interested that there is not 
sufficient time left for the lesson proper. When 
the class is “tuned up” we read the lesson in 
rotation, commenting on each verse or small 
group of verses as we proceed and making prac¬ 
tical applications as opportunities for so doing 
occur. 

In questioning I try to conform to the laws of 
association and build upon something the girls 
already know. In this connection I encourage 
them to ask questions and, if unable to give a 
satisfactory answer, will try to have an answer 
ready the following Sunday. 


I 


Using Salesmanship in Teaching 115 

One way to maintain interest is to disenss the 
meaning and derivation of nnnsnal words as they 
occnr in the text. A little knowledge of Latin, 
Greek and French is 1 very useful’here and appeals 
to the high school girls especially. For example, 
in the. lesson where Jeremiah was “mired” and 
“old cast clouts and rotten rags” were thrown 
down to him, I asked them the meaning of the 
word “clout.” Two of the girls, evidently of a 
sporting turn, said it meant a blow, but only one 
knew that it meant a piece of cloth and she was 
our minister *s* daughter, and in the course of the 
Methodist itinerancy, had lived in a part of the 
country where the word still survived. I could 
not refrain from a little joke* at her expense on 
her backwoods experience. I find that an occa¬ 
sional laugh shakes the class together, as it were. 
Of course I did not neglect to explain the use 
made of the clouts and to apply the obvious lesson 
that seemingly useless things may become very 
useful and also, the more important lesson, that 
there may be a right and a wrong way of doing 
a good action. 

The use of illustrations helps to keep the class 
interested. I employ references to history, 
ancient and contemporary, to the late great war 
in connection with the geography of Palestine, 
and also to local events and conditions. For in¬ 
stance, when our lesson is on the Crucifixion I ex- 


116 


Teaching the Lesson 


plain the meaning of the letters I. N. R. I. on the 
crucifixes which are to be seen in many places in 
our city. On a Christmas lesson I usually make 
a chronological reference and explain the meaning 
and significance of the letters A. D. 

In lessons on the divided kingdoms of Judah 
and Israel and their respective captivities, I often 
refer to the Anglo-Israel theory and on some les¬ 
sons employ the facts, rather than the theories, 
of geology, astronomy and other sciences. 

I often refer to or quote well-known hymns 
when we encounter the Bible verses that evidently 
inspired their authors. Anecdotes and illustra¬ 
tions of answers to prayer have proved very in¬ 
teresting, and sometimes have' elicited unexpected 
responses. 

One method that, so far, I have employed but 
once proved very effective. The lesson was 
“Paul at Corinth/’ following “Paul at Athens/’ 
and, acting on the suggestion of a writer in The 
Sunday School Times, we decided to have an ex¬ 
tempore debate. Our class is made up of business 
and high school girls in about equal numbers. I 
called the high school girls “The Athenians” and 
the business girls “The Corinthians,” and they 
debated the question, “Should Paul have re¬ 
mained longer at Athens?” the “Athenians” tak¬ 
ing the affirmative. Both sides took hold with a 
will and all Thad to do was to sit back in my chair 


Using Salesmanship in Teaching 117 

and smile. One of the “Athenians” had just de¬ 
clared that Paul was a “quitter’’ for leaving 
Athens so soon, when the closing bell rang. It 
certainly was a most interesting session. 

When we have finished the reading I review 
briefly, if there is time, and apply the Golden 
Text. But in any case I always try to emphasize 
one or two of the lesson truths before closing time. 

When I am asked questions relating to char¬ 
acter and conduct, I avoid, as much as possible, 
being dogmatic, referring them back to their own 
conscience and giving as a standard of conduct, 
“What would Jesus have me do?” I try to train 
them to think for themselves and “prove all 
things” by Bible study and prayer. 

In a work on practical psychology I was much 
impressed with a comparison of the work and 
qualifications of the teacher and the salesman. 
From experience I have found that approved 
methods of salesmanship are a great help in 
teaching, and conversely, that my teaching has 
helped me wonderfully in my daily work. 

The first requisite of a good salesman is to have 
great faith in the firm he represents and the goods 
he sells. Following this analogy, in accordance 
with Isaiah 55:1, 2,1 am trying to sell the inspira¬ 
tion of the Bible, the deity of Jesus Christ, and 
the apostolic dictum, “Love is the fulfilling of 
the law.” 


I V 

DEVELOPING CLASS RESPONSIBILITY 
By Rebecca S. Amidon 

One of the secrets of teaching is to have every 
step of the lesson go with vim, and nothing be 
permitted to drag. So, before going to class, I 
have plans carefully laid out for the complete 
use of the forty minutes that are allowed for class 
work. We aim to have the lesson close about 
three minutes before the period is over. This 
gives time for friendly handshaking, which is 
necessary for the wholesome life of the class. 

At the beginning of the lesson the class presi¬ 
dent has the meeting opened with prayer and 
then asks for a report on absent members and 
those who are ill, to whom we always send flowers 
as a class message of sympathy. Next the col¬ 
lection basket is passed; this has two divisions, 
one for the class and one for the general Sunday- 
school contribution. When we have a special col¬ 
lection for the missionary, the orphanage, or for 
any particular work in which we are engaged at 
the time, all the money goes for the special pur- 

118 


Developing Class Responsibility 119 


pose. This part of the program takes not more 
than seven minntes. All outside business matters 
are considered at the regular monthly class 
meetings. 

After this opening the class is free to give un¬ 
divided attention to the lesson. 

In the Bible class teaching, the same as in reg¬ 
ular day-school work, I vary the approach to the 
lesson in order that the element of a happy sur¬ 
prise may invite the attention of the class. I fre¬ 
quently have some member of the class review 
briefly the previous lesson. In that case the mem¬ 
ber is given entire freedom, and, of course, each 
one has her own plan, and they vie with one 
another to make this interesting. At another 
time I have one briefly relate the main ideas con¬ 
tained in the Bible portion between the last Sun¬ 
day’s and the present lesson. This is always by 
pre-appointment, and has for its aim the securing 
of twofold results: Bible study and strength in 
ability to impart Bible truths. 

Following this, or sometimes without this, I 
give the historical and geographical background 
of the lesson, showing the condition of the people, 
the time and the location of the places as vividly 
as possible. A map in the room aids materially 
in this. Often this concrete knowledge of the 
faraway times serves in furnishing apology for 
the mistakes or misdeeds of the people under dis- 


120 


Teaching the Lesson 


cussion. Sometimes this knowledge, showing the 
direct Divine guidance of the people, the promises 
fulfilled, or the warnings unheeded, serves to 
arouse the feeling of disapproval at the lack of 
foresight and wisdom on the part of the people 
concerned. By this means both teacher and class 
members become more alert to the reception of 
the truth; and for the time, at least, we realize 
our own need to learn God’s plans. For by this 
means we perceive that the Bible people were 
merely human as we are, and that God is ever 
the same. 

In presenting the dominant portion of the les¬ 
son it is wise not to let the work become mo¬ 
notonous, so I vary the methods. On one day I 
follow the lecture plan and, step by step, give a 
talk on the lesson. In preparing this talk I have 
put my best effort to give much that is worthy 
of consideration. It must not be at all in the 
nature of a sermon. The preaching teacher would 
be too apt to cut the class off from the feeling of 
responsibility for the success of the lesson. While 
giving my prepared talk, which seems more 
effective when no notes are used, I also frequently 
ask a question, as if I were consulting members 
of the class. This question, which I always at¬ 
tempt to have in line with the lesson and very 
suggestive of thought, is never permitted to em¬ 
barrass any one. It is sometimes thrown out in 


Developing Class Responsibility 121 


a general way. Tlien when I notice that some mod¬ 
est member has an answer ready, bnt hesitates 
to give it, I put the question direct to that one. 
The feeling of satisfaction that shows in the face 
of that class member has paid for my effort. 
Also, after this attempt, this special member is 
more ready to take part in the lessons later. 

After my talk I ask the class if any one has a 
thought on the lesson that would be helpful. 
Sometimes a member will comment on some point 
I have made. Often one will suggest a related 
thought that came to mind during my talk. Again 
one will bring up a point that had not been 
brought out, or ask some question. Every sug¬ 
gestion offered by members of the class is wel¬ 
comed and carefully considered. As teacher I do 
not hold myself alone responsible; I make it my 
aim to have as many individuals as possible ex¬ 
press some thought on the lesson. When mem¬ 
bers take part their interest increases and they 
make an effort to attend more regularly. But I 
do not allow class discussion to drift. I direct it 
warily and skillfully toward the consideration of 
the special lesson matter for the day. For in¬ 
stance, I will remark, “That point will come up 
in a few weeks for special study; I am glad you 
mentioned it today.” Or, “There is so much in 
the lesson for today that is more vital that we 
might leave the discussion of that until later and 


122 


Teaching the Lesson 


see if there is time.” Or again, “That is a ques¬ 
tion that would be worth while to look up.” And 
then I assign some class member to investigate 
and report on that point at the next lesson. 

In teaching “Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream” I 
found that the class had not read the Book of 
Daniel. Therefore at the beginning I gave the 
setting of the story, making very clear the place, 
the time and the general condition existing at that 
time. We then read the lesson for the day. I 
reviewed the life of Daniel up to the time of the 
lesson. This naturally disclosed traits in his 
character that formed foundation for some of the 
teachings of the day’s lesson. We noted his 
prayerful confidence in Jehovah and how trust in 
prayer aided him, his surprising humility, his 
careful thought for others, his powerful self-con¬ 
trol, and his temperate living in the midst of lux¬ 
ury. Through the use that God made of him in 
later life the result of all this self-training and 
of his right living in adversity forcefully disclosed 
to us some of God’s many ways of directing his 
people, and suggested practical application for 
today. One member thought that the life of the 
youth Daniel would be wonderfully inspirational 
for church members to teach to their boys and 
girls. One deplored the fact that parent-teaching 
of the Bible among Christian people had almost 
become obsolete. 


Developing Class Responsibility 123 

Several times mention has been made of the 
valne of class participation in discussing the les¬ 
son. One method that commands individual mem¬ 
ber co-operation proves worth trying occasionally. 
Days ahead of time I plan the lesson in detail. 
Then I write topics that are broadly compre¬ 
hensive, and in themselves suggest the method of 
discussing them. Then a week before time for 
use I distribute these topics, one each to members 
of the class, for them to discuss. The topics are 
numbered and, as one is finished, the member 
having the next number takes her part. This plan 
is enjoyed by the class. If a member to whom a 
topic has been given is absent she secures a sub¬ 
stitute, but generally all to whom parts are as¬ 
signed are present. 

To ask how to hold attention in class would 
seem parallel to asking how to interest boys in 
a ball game. I always plan to have something 
absorbingly worth while to bring to the class. I 
do not pander to sensational topics. People today 
seem hungry for the knowledge of God’s Word, 
and I as a teacher merely consider myself as a 
leader in studying the Bible. 



USING QUESTION, TOPICAL AND 
LECTURE METHODS 

By Alice M. Williams Linsley 

My class is composed of both men and women, 
ranging in age from twenty-five to forty-five, and 
has an average attendance of about fifty. The 
membership includes men of several different 
callings and women in business life, as well as 
home-makers, so that the members, differ some¬ 
what widely in interests and degrees of intel¬ 
lectual culture and spiritual as well. It is my 
purpose to make the teaching profitable to all, 
but especially to avoid the> introduction of ma¬ 
terial beyond the range of the more meagerly 
educated. 

We confine ourselves to the use of the Bible in 
class. Although I conscientiously study all the 
commentaries and helps available to me and en¬ 
courage the class to do so in preparation of the 
lesson, I never bring to the class any of these 
books or periodicals, but stand before it with the 
Book itself, and only incidentally and sparingly 

124 


Question, Topical and Lecture Methods 125 

quote from, or cite, other authorities. Although 
I make free use of allusions to history, literature 
and current events, especially those concerned 
with missionary activities and religious move¬ 
ments, as well as to familiar matters of science or 
art, it is only by way of introduction or illustra¬ 
tion. We never employ the lesson time, or any part 
of it, for anything but actual Bible study. We 
hold ourselves quite closely to the text of the 
lesson, with the Scripture bearing upon it and 
leading up to it. For instance, on a certain Sun¬ 
day we did not study the general subject, 
“Isaiah’s Ideal for a World at Strife/’ using the 
lesson, text as illuminative of that subject; we de¬ 
voted our attention primarily to the text itself 
and endeavored to discover the prophet’s message 
from it. We find that this close adherence to the 
Scripture passage chosen for the lesson, tends to 
prevent the introduction of irrelevant subjects 
and superficial and unprofitable discussions. 

I always make some assignment of the lesson 
beforehand, sometimes in the form of general 
questions for all the class to look up, sometimes 
dividing the members into groups and assigning a 
topic to a group. Often I ask certain ones pri¬ 
vately to prepare a presentation of some part of 
the lesson, thus using the element of the unex¬ 
pected to attract interest. Once we had a short, 
informal debate on Paul’s attitude on the ques- 


126 


Teaching the Lesson 


tion of John Mark versus that of Barnabas. I 
always write out the assignments on the black¬ 
board or on slips of paper. 

I secure the interest of the class at the begin¬ 
ning, sometimes by a startling statement, an un¬ 
expected question, or a touch of humor. Or, if 
anything has taken place in the opening exercises 
of the school to cause any preoccupation of their 
minds, or if for any reason the mood of the class 
is not attentive and reverent, I ask all to bow in 
silent prayer for a moment before I begin to 
teach. 

I use one of three methods in teaching a lesson: 
Questions and answers, topical discussions by 
different members, or a modified lecture method, 
interspersing my remarks with an occasional 
question. 

A lesson on Naaman the Leper I taught, as I 
recall, almost entirely by questions and answers 
based on 2 Kings 5:1-15, substantially as follows: 

What facts have we in the first verse about 
Naaman ? 

Which is the most striking? 

Of what spiritual disease does leprosy remind 
us? 

A member of the class previously notified here 
pointed out seven resemblances between leprosy 
and sin. 

Did Naaman Jinow he was a leper? 


Question, Topical and Lecture Methods 127 

We* have here, then, in type, a sinner conscious 
of his sin. 

Is consciousness of sin a necessary step in the 
progress toward salvation? 

Who is introduced in the second verse ? 

What part has she in Naaman’s cure? 

Did she know all about Elisha, how he might 
be reached and how he performed his cures? 

Is it necessary to know theology and be able to 
explain deep spiritual matters in order to point 
any one to the Saviour? 

Who is introduced in verse four? 

Do we willingly serve as a mere messenger or 
a mere link in the chain when opportunity offers? 

What did Naaman take with him? 

What does many a sinner try to offer in return 
for salvation? (Wealth, education, morality, 
good standing, etc.) 

To whom did Naaman first go? 

Do some turn to the church, or even a lodge, 
to satisfy their spiritual natures, instead of to 
the Saviour? 

In verse nine, however, Naaman comes to the 
right place, though not in the right spirit. 

Why did Elisha not come out as Naaman ex¬ 
pected? 

Why did Elisha say “ seven times ” and why 
“in Jordan?” 

Why was Naaman “wroth?” 



128 


Teaching the Lesson 


Is it the same feeling that makes a moral man 
or refined woman of the world resent the 
“mourner’s bench” or the public confession? 

How do the servants help in verse thirteen ? 

Are we sometimes called upon for a like task? 

Is it easy? 

I then described as dramatically as I could 
Naaman’s dipping in Jordan, his probable feel¬ 
ings as time after time he humbled himself with 
no apparent result, his joy after complete obedi¬ 
ence. I called attention to the force of the simile 
“as a little child.” 

Then very quietly and earnestly I made it per¬ 
sonal. 

Have you, each one of you, come “clean 
through ? ’ ’ 

Or because peace did not come immediately, 
have you ceased praying as Naaman might have 
stopped at the third dipping? And is that all of 
the story? 

What did Naaman do after his cleansing? Have 
you done this? 

Or have you as yet made no confession of the 
salvation you feel you have received; have you 
rendered no real thanks ? 

We then closed with prayer for any present 
who had not yet taken all the steps, and offered 
ourselves anew as Christians to be used in help¬ 
ing such. 


Question, Topical and Lecture Methods 129 

I have never led the class in a lesson which gave 
evidence of making a deeper impression than this 
exceedingly simple presentation. 

The topical method works ont well for Review 
Sunday with us. The best review we have ever 
had was upon one occasion when I asked every 
one to mention the lesson of the quarter which 
helped him most and tell why. Then two members 
discussed topics given them a fortnight in ad¬ 
vance: “The Meaning of the Miracles of Elisha’’ 
and “A Comparison of the Work and Character 
of Elijah and Elisha.” 

I take great care in the selection of the persons 
requested to give such discussions, that no ill- 
advised or harmful remarks be made by those out 
of sympathy with the things of the Spirit. 

Often the topical method is good for presenting 
the introduction or background of the lesson. 
While we were taking the course on Paul I as¬ 
signed at times the geography of the lesson to 
one, points of history or customs to another, and 
so on. A map drill is helpful, as are also char¬ 
acter studies. 

For such a lesson as the one on Amos I use the 
lecture method, for in my class, as in perhaps 
every typical Sunday-school class, there are some 
who would know so little about the book of Amos 
that the lesson passage could have very little 
meaning for them. I had some one report the 


130 


Teaching the Lesson 


known facts about Amos the man, and then I pre¬ 
sented, as vividly as might be, a picture of his 
times, of the political situation and the spiritual 
condition of Israel lying back of his message. I 
gave an outline of the book of Amos and read 
some of its finest passages, pointed out some of 
his most striking figures and dwelt on the spirit¬ 
ual import of two or three of his parables. By 
that time the class was able to enter intelligently 
into a discussion of the lesson passage. We closed 
with an application to our own days and the ex¬ 
travagance, idleness and selfish indifference of 
which we personally are guilty. I always make 
sure to save time for the application and appeal. 

This application is usually very homely, simple 
and direct, dealing with what I conceive to be the 
central spiritual truth of the lesson. I always 
pray especially for guidance in this. It is my 
endeavor to present some saving truth in every 
lesson, to lead my class to see our Lord Jesus 
Christ as the center of all Scripture, to find in 
the obscurest portions and in the darkest annals 
of the Old Testament history some promise, or 
prototype, or prophecy, or foregleam of the 
world’s Redeemer, and to know him personally 
in full salvation and joyful service. 





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